Bienotherium
Encyclopedia
Bienotherium was a therapsid from the Early Jurassic
of China
. Despite its size, it is closely related to Lufengia, and is the largest tritylodont
from the Lufeng Formation in China.
Bienotherium had four incisor
s, no canine
s, and back molar
-like teeth, which it used to chew tough plant material.
and robust
compared to other tritylodonts, and also by exposed maxilla
ries in the skull
, an unusually long diastema
and thin zygomatic bone
.
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Despite its size, it is closely related to Lufengia, and is the largest tritylodont
Tritylodontidae
Tritylodontids were small to medium-sized, highly specialized and extremely mammal-like cynodonts. They were the last family of the non-mammalian synapsids. One of the last cynodont lines to appear, the Tritylodontidae descended from a Cynognathus-like cynodont...
from the Lufeng Formation in China.
Bienotherium had four incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s, no canine
Canine tooth
In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...
s, and back molar
Molar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
-like teeth, which it used to chew tough plant material.
Description
Bienotherium is defined as being bigBig
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
and robust
Robustness (morphology)
In biology, robustness is used to describe a species with a morphology based on strength and a heavy build. The alternative morphology is the 'gracile' body type. For example, comparing similar species, rats have robust body types while mice are gracile. Male and females of the same species may...
compared to other tritylodonts, and also by exposed maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
ries in the skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
, an unusually long diastema
Diastema (dentistry)
Diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.-In humans:...
and thin zygomatic bone
Zygomatic bone
The zygomatic bone is a paired bone of the human skull. It articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. The zygomatic is homologous to the jugal bone of other tetrapods...
.