Charassognathus
| Charassognathus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Charassognathus gracilis, a basal cynodont | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | Cynodontia |
| Family: | †Charassognathidae |
| Genus: | †Charassognathus Botha et al., 2007 |
| Species | |
| |
Charassognathus (meaning 'notched jaw') is an extinct
SAM-PK-K 10369), found in the Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone of the Teekloof Formation, is made up of a crushed skull, partial lower jaw
and one leg.
Charassognathus was a
predator. It was named for a notch on its coronoid process which most likely was the insertion point for a chewing muscle, the adductor mandibulae externus
. Charassognathus was a small animal, with a skull only 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in length. Since the body of Charassognathus has not been discovered, its full length remains unknown, but estimates have been made at 50 centimetres (20 in).
Description
Charassognathus has a snout that makes up slightly less than half of the total length of its skull and a long facial process on its septomaxilla. Other than these two features its skull is that of a typical cynodont. The odd shape of its septomaxilla is more typical of
cynodonts
indicating that it may be close to a common ancestor between the two groups.
See also
References
- Botha, Abdala & Smith (2007). "The oldest cynodont: new clues on the origin and diversification of the Cynodontia". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 149: 477–492. .