Ennatosaurus

En-nat-o-sore-us.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Ennatosaurus ‭(‬Ninth lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

En-nat-o-sore-us.

Named By

Efremov‭ ‬-‭ ‬1956.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Pelycosauria,‭ ‬Caseasauria,‭ ‬Caseidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬tecton‭

Size

Adult size estimated about‭ ‬4‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Russia,‭ ‬Krasnoshchel‭' ‬Formation.

Time Period

Capitanian to Wuchiapingian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

Remains of several individuals,‭ ‬mostly of juveniles though one adult skull is known.

In Depth

       Ennatosaurus is a genus of caseid pelycosaur that in Russia during the later stages of the Permian.‭ ‬These kinds of pelycosaurs are noted for their herbivorous diets and powerful fore limbs which may have been used for digging up plants.‭ ‬The most interesting thing about Ennatosaurus is that when the first remains were found,‭ ‬several small juveniles were found clustered together with the presence of a single skull.‭ ‬Not only does this suggest that they were all buried at the same time as one another,‭ ‬but it also hints that at least some pelycosaurs stuck together in their early years and were possibly watched over by a parent.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Cranial Anatomy of Ennatosaurus tecton‭ (‬Synapsida:‭ ‬Caseidae‭) ‬from the Middle Permian of Russia and the Evolutionary Relationships of Caseidae‭ ‬-Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬28‭(‬1‭)‬:160-180‭ ‬-‭ ‬H.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Maddin,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Reisz‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

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