Extinct genus of anteosaurid synapsid from the Permian
Anteosaurus
Temporal range: Capitanian, ~265–260 Ma
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A. magnificus skull (SAM-PK-11296) on display at the Iziko Museum in Cape Town, South Africa
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Synapsida
Clade:
Therapsida
Suborder:
†Dinocephalia
Family:
†Anteosauridae
Subfamily:
†Anteosaurinae
Clade:
†Anteosaurini
Genus:
†Anteosaurus Watson, 1921
Species:
†A. magnificus
Binomial name
†Anteosaurus magnificus
Watson, 1921
Synonyms
Genus synonymy
Eccasaurus (?) Broom, 1909
Titanognathus Broili & Schröder, 1935
Dinosuchus Broom, 1936
Broomosuchus Camp, 1942
Micranteosaurus Boonstra, 1954
Paranteosaurus Boonstra, 1954
Pseudanteosaurus Boonstra, 1954
Species synonymy
Eccasaurus priscus (?) Broom, 1909
Anteosaurus minor Broom, 1929
Titanognathus lotzi Broili & Schröder, 1935
Dinosuchus vorsteri Broom, 1936
Broomosuchus vorsteri Camp, 1942
Anteosaurus abeli Boonstra, 1952
Anteosaurus vorsteri Boonstra, 1953
Titanosuchus lotzi Boonstra, 1953
Anteosuchus acutirostris Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus crassifrons Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus cruentus Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus laticeps Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus levops Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus lotzi Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus major Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus minusculus Boonstra, 1954
Paranteosaurus primus Boonstra, 1954
Pseudanteosaurus minor Boonstra, 1954
Micranteosaurus parvus Boonstra, 1954
Anteosaurus (meaning "Antaeus reptile") is an extinct genus of large carnivorous dinocephalian synapsid. It lived at the end of the Guadalupian (= Middle Permian) during the Capitanian stage, about 265 to 260 million years ago in what is now South Africa. It is mainly known by cranial remains and few postcranial bones. Measuring 5–6 m (16–20 ft) long and weighing about 600 kg (1,300 lb), Anteosaurus was the largest known carnivorous non-mammalian synapsid and the largest terrestrial predator of the Permian period. Occupying the top of the food chain in the Middle Permian, its skull, jaws and teeth show adaptations to capture large prey like the giants titanosuchids and tapinocephalids dinocephalians and large pareiasaurs.
As in many other dinocephalians the cranial bones of Anteosaurus are pachyostosed, but to a lesser extent than in tapinocephalid dinocephalians. In Anteosaurus, pachyostosis mainly occurs in the form of horn-shaped supraorbital protuberances. According to some paleontologists this structure would be implicated in intraspecific agonistic behaviour, including head-pushing probably during the mating season. On the contrary, other scientists believe that this pachyostosis served to reduce cranial stress on the bones of the skull when biting massive prey.
Young Anteosaurus started their life with fairly narrow and lean skulls, and as it grew up bones of the skull became progressively thickened (process known as pachyostosis), creating the characteristic robust skull roof of Anteosaurus. The study of its inner ear revealed that Anteosaurus was a largely terrestrial, agile predator with highly advanced senses of vision, balance and coordination. It was also very fast and would have been able to outrun competitors and prey alike thanks to its advanced adaptations. Its body was well-suited to projecting itself forward, both in hunting and evidently in head-butting.
Anteosaurus and all other dinocephalians became extinct about 260 million years ago in a mass extinction at the end of the Capitanian in which the large Bradysaurian pareiasaurs also disappeared.[1] The reasons of this extinction are obscure, although some research have shown a temporal association between the extinction of dinocephalian and an important volcanism event in China (known as the Emeishan Traps).[2][1]
^ abDay, M.O.; Rubidge, B.S. (2021). "The Late Capitanian Mass Extinction of Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Karoo Basin of South Africa". Frontiers in Earth Science. 9: 15. Bibcode:2021FrEaS...9...15D. doi:10.3389/feart.2021.631198.
^Day, M.O.; Ramezani, J.; Bowring, S.A.; Sadler, P.M.; Erwin, D.H.; Abdala, F.; Rubidge, B.S. (2015). "When and how did the terrestrial mid-Permian mass extinction occur? Evidence from the tetrapod record of the Karoo Basin, South Africa". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 282 (1811): 20150834. doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.0834. PMC 4528552. PMID 26156768.
the cranial bones of Anteosaurus are pachyostosed, but to a lesser extent than in tapinocephalid dinocephalians. In Anteosaurus, pachyostosis mainly occurs...
Moschops, Struthiocephalus and Jonkeria were semiaquatic, others, like Anteosaurus, were more terrestrial. Dinocephalians were among the largest animals...
with Antaeus, although he may be different from the Libyan Antaeus. Anteosaurus, a giant therapsid named after Antaeus Freely, John (30 March 2014)....
moving model; the Moschops plant eater, the more dangerous carnivore Anteosaurus, and the slower Lystrosaurus; paleontologists did not know whether therapsids...
Moschognathus. This specimen, AM 4950, was initially identified as a juvenile Anteosaurus prior to preparation, but was subsequently identified as a subadult Moschops...
average body mass of 5.88 tonnes. The largest carnivorous synapsid was Anteosaurus at 5–6 m (16–20 ft) and 500–600 kg (1,100–1,300 lb). Caseasaurs (Caseasauria)...
upwards. There is a tendency especially in more advanced forms such as Anteosaurus towards thickening of the bones of the top of the skull, indicating head-butting...
falling outside the crown group. Permian synapsids like Dimetrodon or Anteosaurus are stem mammals in the wider sense but not in the narrower one. Often...
enlarged distal ends are more similar to the more derived anteosaurs Anteosaurus and Titanophoneus. First phylogenetic analyzes identified Sinophoneus...
the largest carnivorous non-mammalian synapsids was the dinocephalian Anteosaurus, which was 5–6 m (16–20 ft) long, and weighed 500–600 kg (1,100–1,300 lb)...
South Africa. Broom's Dinosuchus is now considered a junior synonym of Anteosaurus. The name Dinosuchus means "terrible crocodile" in Greek. It is not to...
was probably used in intraspecific behaviour. In Doliosauriscus and Anteosaurus, not only was this boss very prominent, but the bones were very thick...
evolved independently. Boonstra notes that the hip joint and the femur of Anteosaurus is comparable with those of the crocodile and that these animals may...
("terrible heads") included both carnivores and herbivores. They were large; Anteosaurus was up to 20 ft (6.1 m) long. Some of the carnivores had semi-erect hindlimbs...
members of the anteosauridae, e.g. the boss on the lower mandible found in Anteosaurus or Titanophoneus. These two closely related genera have therefore been...
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