Ufudocyclops
Name:
Ufudocyclops.
Phonetic: Uf-oo-do-sy-klops.
Named By: Christian F. Kammerer, Pia A.
Viglietti, P. John Hancox, Richard J. Butler & Jonah
N. Choiniere - 2019.
Classification: Chordata, Therapsida,
Dicynodontia, Stahleckeriidae, Stahleckeriinae.
Species: U. mukanelai
(type).
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Larger skulls up to 35 centimetres long.
Known locations: South Africa - Burgersdorp
Formation.
Time period: Middle Triassic.
Fossil representation: Skulls and a lower jaw.
Ufudocyclops
is a genus of dicynodont therapsid
that lived in Southern Africa during
the mid Triassic. Remains of several skulls of Ufudocyclops
are known
and these suggest that Ufudocyclops not only lacked
tusks, but was
completely toothless. Instead of teeth, Ufudocyclops
seems to have
had a large keratinous beak that was used to shear through plants.
Rugose patterning upon the skull of Ufudocyclops
supports this
assessment as these would have been were the keratin grew from.
Further reading
- A new kannemeyeriiform dicynodont (Ufudocyclops mukanelai,
gen. et sp. nov.) from Subzone C of the Cynognathus
Assemblage
Zone, Triassic of South Africa, with implications for
biostratigraphic correlation with other African Triassic Faunas. -
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. - Christian F. Kammerer,
Pia A. Viglietti, P. John Hancox, Richard J. Butler
& Jonah N. Choiniere - 2019.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Random favourites
 |
 |
 |