Homodontosaurus

Ho-mo-dont-o-sor-us.
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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

Homodontosaurus ‭(‬same toothed lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ho-mo-dont-o-sor-us.

Named By

Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1949.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Therocephalia,‭ ‬Baurioidea.‭

Diet

Carnivore‭?

Species

H.‭ ‬kitchingi‭

Size

Skull about‭ ‬5.5‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

South Africa‭ ‬-‭ ‬Balfour Formation.

Time Period

Changhsingian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

Partial skulls and some partial post cranial remains.

In Depth

       Homodontosaurus was first described from a partial skull which Robert Broom thought might have come from a pelycosaur‭ ‬and perhaps one similar to Elliotsmithia.‭ ‬Then in‭ ‬1950‭ ‬a second specimen of Homodontosaurus was described by Brink,‭ ‬and this one included parts of the post cranial skeleton.‭ ‬This revealed that Homodontosaurus was not a pelycosaur but‭ ‬a‭ ‬therocephalian therapsid of the Baurioidea group.‭ ‬In more modern times,‭ ‬fossils of Homodontosaurus have in the past been speculated to be juveniles of the genus Tetracynodon.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬New fossil reptile genera from the Bernard Price collection.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Annals of the Transvaal Museum‭ ‬21‭ (‬1-2‭)‬:‭ ‬187‭–‬194.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1949. -‭ ‬Scaloposaurian reptiles from the Triassic of Antarctica.‭ ‬-‭ ‬American Museum Novitates‭ ‬2709:‭ ‬1‭–‬22.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Colbert‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Kitching‭ ‬-‭ ‬1981.

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