Mycterosaurus

Mik-teh-roe-sore-us.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Mycterosaurus.

Phonetic

Mik-teh-roe-sore-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Pelycosauria,‭ ‬Varanopidae, Mycterosaurinae.

Diet

Carnivore/Insectivore.

Species

M.‭ ‬longiceps‭

Size

About‭ ‬60‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Colorado‭ ‬-‭ ‬Waggoner Ranch Formation,‭ ‬Oklahoma‭ ‬-‭ ‬Cutler Formation and Texas‭ ‬-‭ ‬Garber Formation.

Time Period

Artinskian to Kungurian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

Several individuals.

In Depth

       Mycterosaurus was a varanopid pelycosaur that lived in the USA during the Permian.‭ ‬The small size of Mycterosaurus is suggestive that this genus was as predator of small vertebrates and possible larger invertebrates.‭ ‬As a member of the Varanopidae,‭ ‬Mycterosaurus would have been a relative of such genera as Varanops,‭ ‬Varanodon and Varanosaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A New Genus and Species of American Theromorpha:‭ ‬Mycterosaurus longiceps.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Geology‭ ‬23‭(‬6‭)‬:554-559‭ ‬-‭ ‬Samuel Wendell Williston‭ ‬-‭ ‬1915. – Restudy of Mycterosaurus longiceps (Reptilia, Pelycosauria) From the Lower Permian of Texas. – Annals of Carnegie Museum. 51: 423–453. – David S. Berman & Robert R. Reisz – 1982. – A Re-Description of ‘Mycterosaurus’ smithae, an Early Permian Eothyridid, and Its Impact on the Phylogeny of Pelycosaurian-Grade Synapsids. – PLOS ONE. 11 (6). – Neil Brocklehurst, Robert R. Reisz, Vincent Fernandez & J�rg Fr�bisch – 2016.

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