In Depth Riebeeckosaurus would have been just another run of the mill tapinocephalid dinocephalian therapsid were it not for the extreme elongation of the skull. Though possibly for display, the elongation of the skull may denote a feeding adaptation and dietary specialisation. Further Reading - Nuwe tapinocephalidae, Riebeeckosaurus longisrostris gen. et sp. nov. Tydskr. Wet. … Read more
In Depth Not to be confused with the ceratopsian dinosaur Styracosaurus, Styracocephalus was a theraspid herbivore from what is now South Africa. At four and a half meters long, it was only slightly smaller than the more famous Moschops, but still appears to have had a similar lifestyle browsing upon vegetation. The most recognisable feature … Read more
In Depth Though at the time of writing only known from skulls and jaw bones, it is clear that Tapinocaninus would have been a large dinocephalian therapsid given that the skull alone is some fifty centimetres long. Tapinocaninus is noted for having enlarged teeth that in the front portion of the mouth were angled to … Read more
In Depth Keratocephalus is a genus of tapinocephalid dinocephalian therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. The most noteworthy thing about Keratocephalus is that known specimens show a range of variation to the point where there is speculation that the different skulls may be a sign of difference between males and females, or … Read more
In Depth Fossils of the dinocephalian genus Tapinocephalus are fairly common within the Lower Beaufort Beds, that the location where fossils of the genus are known is actually called the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone. Tapinocephalus seems to have been a successful genus of Tapinocephalus given the large number of remains, and superficially the genus resembles Moschops. … Read more
In Depth A relative of the genus Moschops, Criocephalosaurus was a tapniocephalid dinocephalian therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. As with relative genera, Criocephalosaurus is noted for having a skull that grew extremely thick on top, perhaps as a form of display or as something used in head pushing contests with rivals. … Read more
In Depth Struthiocephalus is known from a fairly large number of individuals that represent various life stages and sexes, though originally these were broken up into distinct genera on the mistaken idea that the different growth stages and sexual dimorphism between specimens represented traits of different genera. What can be said about Struthiocephalus now is … Read more