Ennatosaurus
Encyclopedia
Ennatosaurus was a mammal-like reptile that lived in Russia
during the Wordian
stage of the Permian
period. It is included in the synapsid
clade Caseidae
in the order Pelycosauria.
Ennatosaurus was herbivorous, possibly using its broad forefeet to dig at plants. Like all caseids, Ennatosaurus had a small head compared to its wide, lizard-like body. Its mouth was lined with blunt, peg-like teeth. It lived alongside other Permian creatures, such as the herbivorous Nyctiphruretus
and the carnivorous Biarmosuchus
.
The adult size for Ennatosaurus is unknown. Fossil remains show an animal about the size of a cat, but these are likely juvenile specimens, the adults growing to sizes that may have rivaled those of 20 feet (6.1 m)-long cousin, Cotylorhynchus
.http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/07/the_answers_we_seek_on_goodbye.php Ennatosaurus is known from only one fossil site, where several juveniles were buried simultaneously in sand. One adult skull was found among the juvenile skeletons.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
during the Wordian
Wordian
In the geologic timescale, the Wordian is an age or stage of the Permian. It is the middle of three subdivisions of the Guadalupian epoch or series. The Wordian lasted between 268.0 ± 0.7 and 265.8 ± 0.7 million years ago...
stage of the Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
period. It is included in the synapsid
Synapsid
Synapsids are a group of animals that includes mammals and everything more closely related to mammals than to other living amniotes. They are easily separated from other amniotes by having an opening low in the skull roof behind each eye, leaving a bony arch beneath each, accounting for their name...
clade Caseidae
Caseidae
The Caseidae were a widespread group of very primitive herbivorous synapsids, which appeared during the later early Permian and persisted until the late middle Permian. Although ranging in size from 1 to 5½ meters in body length, caseids were surprisingly conservative in their skeletal anatomy and...
in the order Pelycosauria.
Ennatosaurus was herbivorous, possibly using its broad forefeet to dig at plants. Like all caseids, Ennatosaurus had a small head compared to its wide, lizard-like body. Its mouth was lined with blunt, peg-like teeth. It lived alongside other Permian creatures, such as the herbivorous Nyctiphruretus
Nyctiphruretus
Nyctiphruretus , is an extinct genus of reptiles distantly related to turtles. The reptiles lived around about 250 million years ago and looked more like lizards than turtles....
and the carnivorous Biarmosuchus
Biarmosuchus
Biarmosuchus tener was a therapsid that lived around 255 mya during the late Permian period. It was discovered in the Perm region of Russia. The specimen was found in channel sandstone that was deposited by flood waters originating from the young Ural mountains. The species is the most primitive of...
.
The adult size for Ennatosaurus is unknown. Fossil remains show an animal about the size of a cat, but these are likely juvenile specimens, the adults growing to sizes that may have rivaled those of 20 feet (6.1 m)-long cousin, Cotylorhynchus
Cotylorhynchus
Cotylorhynchus was a very large mammal-like reptile that lived in the southern part of what is now North America during the Early Permian period and persisted until the late-Mid Permian...
.http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2007/07/the_answers_we_seek_on_goodbye.php Ennatosaurus is known from only one fossil site, where several juveniles were buried simultaneously in sand. One adult skull was found among the juvenile skeletons.