#lanthanosuchus

[cry-olophosaurus]

Two Synapsids and a Diapsid walk into a bar.... (and their fossilized skulls end up in the Melbourne Museum).

Despite frequently being dubbed “mammal-like reptiles”, early Synapsids (mammals and their ancestors) were not reptiles at all, but rather a different branch of Amniotes (a group including today’s mammals and reptiles) that split off separately from reptiles. 

From left to right: Vivaxosarus trautscholdi (Early Synapsid, labelled in photo as synonymous Dicynodon trautscholdi), Lanthanosuchus watsoni (Diapsid reptile), Eotitanosuchus olsoni (Early Synapsid). 

[palaeopedia]

The lanthanum crocodile, Lanthanosuchus (1946)

Phylum : Chordata Subphylum : Tetrapoda Class : Amphibia Superorder : Parareptilia Superfamily : Lanthanosuchoidea Family : Lanthanosuchidae Genus : Lanthanosuchus Species : L. watsoni

Late Permian (253 Ma)

75 cm long (size)

Tatarstan, Western Russia (map)

Lanthanosuchus is an extinct genus of parareptile from the Late Permian. It was found at Isheevo in Tatarstan. Lanthanosuchus had a length of 75 cm.