Lystrosaurus
Lystrosaurus murrayi
This herbivore is a well-known example of a survivor of the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history.
Image: Rama · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr · Wikimedia Commons
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Sites on today's globe · 1 marker
Characteristics
- Scientific name
- Lystrosaurus murrayi
- Period
- Early Triassic (Induan)
- Lived
- 251.9–247 Ma (251.9 million years ago)
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Habitat
- Plains, Swamp
- Length (estimate)
- 1 m
- Mass (estimate)
- 100 kg
Description
Lystrosaurus was a stocky dicynodont synapsid with a beak and two tusk-like canine teeth. Its short legs, broad body and strong jaw were suited to processing tough plants. It lived soon after the Permian–Triassic mass extinction and was widespread in many southern ecosystems; rapid reproduction and burrowing are possible explanations for its success. The precise causes of its dominance remain under study.
Habitat
Seasonally dry floodplains and river landscapes of southern Pangaea.
Fossil sites
Karoo, Eastern Cape
Beaufort Group
Cultural profile: South Africa →
Sources: Lystrosaurus