Secodontosaurus was a pelycosaur

Pelycosaur

The pelycosaurs are an informal grouping composed of basal or primitive Late Paleozoic synapsid amniotes. Some species were quite large and could grow up to 3 meters or more, although most species were much smaller...

 that lived in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 during the Early 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...

 age. Though it had the same body style as other sphenacodontids

Sphenacodontidae

Sphenacodontidae is a family of small to large, advanced, carnivorous, Late Pennsylvanian to middle Permian pelycosaurs. Primitive forms were generally small in size , but during the later part of the early Permian these animals grew progressively larger , to become the top predators of their...

, it had an unusually low and narrow skull. It had a long neural spines, like Dimetrodon

Dimetrodon

Dimetrodon was a predatory synapsid genus that flourished during the Permian period, living between 280–265 million years ago ....

, which Secodontosaurus was related to. The cranial modifications of Secodontosaurus indicate an adaptation to some specialized feeding strategy, perhaps preying upon burrowing animal

Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...

s, or perhaps aquatic feeding habits.