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Estemmenosuchus
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| Estemmenosuchus Temporal range: Guadalupian (Wordian),
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|---|---|
| E. uralensis skeleton | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | †Dinocephalia |
| Family: | †Estemmenosuchidae |
| Genus: | †Estemmenosuchus Tchudinov, 1960 |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Estemmenosuchus (meaning "crowned crocodile" in Greek) is an extinct genus of large, early omnivorous therapsid. It is believed and interpreted to have lived during the middle part of the Middle Permian around 267 million years ago. The two species, E. uralensis and E. mirabilis, are characterised by distinctive horn-like structures, which were probably used for intra-specific display. Both species of Estemmenosuchus are from the Perm (or Cis-Urals) region of Russia. Two other estemmenosuchids, Anoplosuchus and Zopherosuchus, are now considered females of the species E. uralensis.[1] There were many complete and incomplete skeletons found together.
Description
[edit]
Estemmenosuchus could reach a body length of more than 3 m (10 ft).[2] Its skull was long and massive, up to 65 cm (26 in) in length,[2] and possessed several sets of large horns, somewhat similar to the antlers of a moose, growing upward and outward from the sides and top of the head. The animal had a sprawling posture as indicated by analysing its shoulder joints.
The skull superficially resembles that of Styracocephalus, but the "horns" are formed from different bones; in Estemmenosuchus the horns are located on the frontals and protrude upward, whereas in Styracocephalus the horns are formed by the tabular and extend aft.
Species
[edit]
Estemmenosuchus is interpreted to have lived some 267 million years ago. Two species have been identified, from the Ocher Assemblage Zone Belebei Formation at the Ezhovo locality near Ochyor in the Perm region of the Russia in 1960. They were found with the Biarmosuchians Eotitanosuchus olsoni and Biarmosuchus tener in channel flood deposits of the young Ural Mountains. They differ in size, shape of the skull, and shape of the horns.
Originally all specimens were included in Estemmenosuchus uralensis, but it was since realised that there were a number of different species. However, not all palaeontologists agree that these were different species. According to Ivakhnenko (1998) Anoplosuchus and Zopherosuchus are synonyms of Estemmenosuchus uralensis.[3]
| Species | Status | Abundance[3] | Remains[3] | Skull length | Body Length[3] | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anoplosuchus tenuirostris | Synonym of Estemmenosuchus uralensis | Fairly uncommon | Incomplete skeleton and skull | Intermediate in size | There are no horns or thickening, except in the front nasal region.[3] | ||
| Estemmenosuchus mirabilis | Valid species | Fairly uncommon | Skull, lower jaw and vertebrae | Up to 42 cm long | 3 m long | Unlike E. uralensis, which had only one horn on each side of its head, this species had 2 projecting bony knobs on each side of the cranium, one on the top pointing up looking like antlers and another pointing to the side similar to E. uralensis. Its snout is smaller and wider than its relative and looks vaguely like a modern moose. The palate teeth include six incisors, two canines and about twenty small incisor-like teeth at the rear. The lower palate contained six incisors, two canines and about thirty smaller back teeth. | |
| Estemmenosuchus uralensis | Valid species | Common | Elements of skulls and postcrania | Up to 68 cm long | 4.5 m long | The species are characterised by horns which project upward and outward on the side of the head. The mouth contained large canines with small molar teeth. | |
| Zopherosuchus luceus | Synonym of Estemmenosuchus uralensis | Fairly uncommon | Poorly preserved skeleton and incomplete skull | 1.5 m long | Some of bones at the front of the skull are particularly thickened.[3] |
Paleobiology
[edit]
Thermoregulation
[edit]It has been suggested that the animal had a fairly constant internal temperature. Its large size and compact build gave a small surface-to-volume ratio and suggests it would not gain (or lose) temperature quickly. This phenomenon is called gigantothermy and was probably an important factor in temperature regulation in most therapsids.[4]
Skin
[edit]P. Chudinov reported skin impressions belonging to Estemmenosuchus in 1968. The skin was described as being "glandular" like that of a hairless mammal or a frog.[5] More specifically, structures referred to as “lenses” are interpreted as glands, which would be their earliest occurrence in the fossil record if true. Melanosomes may also be preserved (one of the first recorded instances of such), as evidenced by darker areas surrounding the “lenses”. Alongside this, an osteoderm was associated with a sacrum recorded as belonging to “Anoplosuchus” (which is a junior synonym of Estemmenosuchus), suggesting the animal had osteoderms embedded in its skin, similar to those of mylodontid ground sloths.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Ivakhnenko, M.F. (2000). "Estemmenosuchus and primitive theriodonts from the Late Permian". Paleontological Journal. 34 (2): 184–192.
- ^ a b Ivakhnenko, M. F. (2001). "Tetrapods from the East European Placket—Late Paleozoic Natural Territorial Complex". Proceedings of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (in Russian). 283: 200.
- ^ a b c d e f "Therapsida: Dinocephalia: Estemmenosuchidae". Palaeos. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ Ruben, J.A.; Jones, T.D. (2000). "Selective Factors Associated with the Origin of Fur and Feathers". Am. Zool. 40 (4): 585–596. doi:10.1093/icb/40.4.585.
- ^ "Getting to the Root of Fur". National Geographic. October 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Chudinov, P. K. (1968). "Structure of the integuments of theromorphs". Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR. 179 (1): 207–210.
Further reading
[edit]- Chudinov, P. K. 1965, "New Facts about the Fauna of the Upper Permian of the USSR", Journal of Geology, 73:117-30
- King, Gillian M., "Anomodontia" Part 17 C, Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology, Gutsav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart and New York, 1988
- Olsen, E. C., 1962, Late Permian terrestrial vertebrates, USA and USSR Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series, 52:1–224
- Patricia Vickers-Rich and Thomas H. Rich, The Great Russian Dinosaurs, Guntar Graphics, 1993, p. 30
External links
[edit]- Palaeos - detailed description
Estemmenosuchus
View on GrokipediaTaxonomy
Etymology
The genus name Estemmenosuchus is derived from the Greek words estemmenos (from stemno, meaning "crowned" or "garlanded") and suchus (meaning "crocodile"), a reference to the prominent horn-like and boss-like cranial structures that give the skull a crowned appearance.[3] The type species E. uralensis has an epithet derived from the Ural Mountains in Russia, the type locality near the town of Ocher where the fossils were found in Middle Permian deposits.[4] The second species, E. mirabilis, bears a Latin epithet meaning "wonderful" or "remarkable", highlighting the particularly elaborate and bizarre bony projections on its skull compared to the type species.[5] The genus and E. uralensis were formally named and described by the Soviet paleontologist Ivan Chudinov in 1960 based on specimens from the Ocher locality, with E. mirabilis added by the same author in 1965; these names reflect the distinctive morphology and geographic origin of the fossils within the dinocephalian therapsids.[3]Phylogenetic classification
Estemmenosuchus is classified within the clade Synapsida, specifically as a member of Therapsida, the group that includes the stem-lineage to mammals.[6] Within Therapsida, it belongs to the suborder Dinocephalia, a diverse Permian radiation characterized by thickened cranial bones adapted for intraspecific combat.[6] Dinocephalia is divided into two primary clades: the carnivorous Anteosauria and the mostly herbivorous Tapinocephalia, with Estemmenosuchus positioned within the latter.[7] The family Estemmenosuchidae is monotypic, containing only the genus Estemmenosuchus.[7] Key synapomorphies defining Estemmenosuchidae include extreme pachyostosis (thickening) of the skull roof bones and the presence of prominent, horn-like bosses on the nasals, lacrimals, postorbitals, and squamosals, which likely served display or agonistic functions.[7] These features distinguish it from other tapinocephalians, such as the more derived Tapinocephalidae, which exhibit less pronounced cranial embellishments.[6] Historically, Estemmenosuchus was first described by Chudinov in 1960 as a dinocephalian therapsid based on Russian Permian fossils, initially aligning with early views of dinocephalians as primitive relatives of anomodonts.[6] Cladistic analyses in the late 20th century refined this placement, confirming Dinocephalia as a monophyletic basal therapsid group and rejecting earlier anomodont affinities through shared traits like nonterminal external nares and a preorbitally positioned pterygoid flange.[6] In recent cladograms, Estemmenosuchidae occupies a basal position within Tapinocephalia, as the sister taxon to a clade comprising Styracocephalidae, Titanosuchidae, and Tapinocephalidae, supported by characters such as a posterior shelf on the pterygoid and reduced vomerine processes.[7] Anteosauria, including genera like Anteosaurus, forms the sister clade to Tapinocephalia within Dinocephalia, highlighting a dichotomy between carnivorous and herbivorous forms early in the group's evolution.[7] This positioning underscores Estemmenosuchus's role as a transitional form in the diversification of large-bodied Permian herbivores.[6]Discovery
Initial discovery
The fossils of Estemmenosuchus were first discovered in 1940 by Soviet paleontologist Ivan Antonovich Efremov during field expeditions in the Perm region of European Russia, as part of his broader work on Permian terrestrial vertebrates. The initial excavation occurred at the Ezhovo locality within the Belebei Formation, corresponding to the Ocher Assemblage Zone of the Middle Permian (Urzhumian stage).[8] This site yielded fragmentary remains embedded in a challenging red claystone matrix, which complicated preparation efforts due to the rock's hardness and the fossils' fragility, requiring careful mechanical and chemical techniques to expose the specimens without damage.[9] The genus Estemmenosuchus was formally described and named in 1960 by P. K. Chudinov, based on the holotype PIN 1758/4, a well-preserved skull attributed to E. uralensis.[8] The name derives from Greek stemmenos (crowned) and suchus (crocodile), referring to the prominent horn-like bony projections on the skull roof. Early interpretations portrayed Estemmenosuchus as a large carnivorous reptile, potentially reaching over 3 meters in length, with the cranial "horns" suggested as defensive structures for intraspecific combat or protection against predators.[10] These views stemmed from the robust skull morphology and dentition, though later analyses revised its diet toward omnivory.[6]Known specimens
The known specimens of Estemmenosuchus are primarily housed in the collections of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (PIN) in Moscow, Russia, and derive from the Ezhovo locality in the Perm region, representing fluvial deposits of the middle Permian (Urzhumian stage).[8] The initial discoveries date to 1940 excavations in this area. Major specimens are summarized in the following table:| Species | Specimen Number | Description | Locality | Repository |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. uralensis | PIN 1758/4 | Holotype; nearly complete skull | Ezhovo | PIN, Moscow |
| E. uralensis | PIN 1758/327 | Referred; skull | Ezhovo | PIN, Moscow |
| E. mirabilis | PIN 1758/6 | Holotype; complete skull | Ezhovo | PIN, Moscow |
| E. mirabilis | PIN 1758/22 | Referred; partial skeleton including skull | Ezhovo | PIN, Moscow |