Titanophoneus
potens -Efremov, 1938- reconstruction of the skeleton
Therapsida:
Dinocephalia: Anteosauridae
Locality: Isheevo, Tatarstan,
eastern European Russia
Age: Late Permian, 253 million years ago
Meaning of
name: "Giant murderer"
Titanophoneus
potens -Efremov, 1938- skull
Therapsida: Dinocephalia:
Anteosauridae
Locality: Isheevo, Tatarstan, eastern
European Russia
Age: Late Permian, 253 million years ago
In
the middle Late Permian Titanophoneus played the role of a superpredator in
terrestrial
tetrapod assemblages, like Eotitanosuchus in the early Late
Permian.
This specimen was found articulated and represents a young animal-
an
adult skull would be almost one meter in length.
The long snout, the long tail
and the
short limbs are all primitive features on this carnivorous therapsid.
The
stance of Titanophoneus was primitive, because rather
than the limbs being drawn
in under the body the stance was more sprawling.
Titanophoneus was more advanced
than earlier carnivorous therapsids because the
temporal opening behind the eye
socket was larger,
and thus there was a greater muscle mass available for closing
the lower jaw.
Late Permian Titanophoneus played the role of super-predator in
terrestrial
tetrapod assemblages, like Eotitanosuchus
in the early Late Permian.
