Keratocephalus

Ke-rah-to-sef-a-luss.
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.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Keratocephalus ‭(‬horned head‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ke-rah-to-sef-a-luss.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Dinocephalia,‭ ‬Tapinocephalidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

K.‭ ‬moloch‭

Size

About‭ ‬2.5‭ ‬to‭ ‬3‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

South Africa.

Time Period

Capitanian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

Fossils of‭ ‬several individuals.

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 that there might even be more than one species.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Fauna der sudafrikanischen Karrooformation.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Geologische und Palaeontologische Abhandlungen,‭ ‬v.‭ ‬18,‭ ‬p.‭ ‬159-227.‭ ‬-‭ ‬F.‭ ‬von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1931.

Adopt A Species
prehistoric-wildlife new logo

Love this species?

Adopt it today!

(UPDATED!)

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Stegosaurus