Olivierosuchus

Olivierosuchus is an extinct genus of therocephalian therapsids. It is a member of the family Akidnognathidae. Fossils of Olivierosuchus have been found from the Early Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone in South Africa.[1] Unlike other akidnognathids such as Moschorhinus, it has a narrow snout and fewer postcanine teeth. As a distinguishing feature, Olivierosuchus also has a sharp ridge near the choana, an opening in the skull palate. Bumps and projections cover the pterygoid, a bone that forms part of the palate.[2]

Olivierosuchus
Temporal range:
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Clade: Therapsida
Clade: †Therocephalia
Family: †Akidnognathidae
Genus: †Olivierosuchus
Kammerer & Sidor, 2002
Species
  • †O. parringtoni Brink, 1965 (type)
Synonyms
  • †"Olivieria parringtoni" Brink, 1965

Olivierosuchus was a top predator of the lower Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone (LAZ) and lived alongside other large therapsids like Moschorhinus. The high diversity of akidnognathids in the LAZ suggests that the group recovered quickly from the Permian-Triassic extinction event, a mass extinction in which many other therapsid groups disappeared.[2]

A burrow cast described in 2010 from the LAZ has been attributed to Olivierosuchus or a related therocephalian. The burrow is straight and wide and includes an entry ramp and living chamber. Remains of a juvenile Lystrosaurus dicynodont were found in the cast, but the individual was likely too small to dig the burrow. It is possible that the burrow was home to an Olivierosuchus that had stashed the remains of the dicynodont as its prey in the tunnel. Carnivorous tetrapods typically create straight burrows and often store food in them, providing evidence for this interpretation of the South African burrow.[3]

References
  1. Brink, A.S. (1965). "A new ictidosuchid (Scaloposauria) from the Lystrosaurus-Zone". Palaeontologia Africana: Annals of the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, University of the Witwatersrand. 9: 129–138.
  2. Botha-Brink, J.; Modesto, S. P. (2011). "A new skeleton of the Therocephalian synapsid Olivierosuchus parringtoni from the Lower Triassic South African Karoo Basin". Palaeontology. 54 (3): 591–606. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2011.01048.x.
  3. Modesto, S.P.; Botha-Brink, J. (2010). "A burrow cast with Lystrosaurus skeletal remains from the Lower Triassic of South Africa" (PDF). PALAIOS. 25 (4): 274–281. doi:10.2110/palo.2009.p09-077r.
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