#microvaranops parentis

[252mya]

Microvaranops parentis

Artwork by Matt Celeskey

Despite its reptilian appearance, Microvaranops is a member of the animal lineage that includes mammals, the synapsids. A fossil containing five individuals suggests that these animals gathered in groups when they lived in the Permian Period.

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[alphynix]

Will non-mammalian synapsids hatched in 'undeveloped' state baby like modern monotremes?

Possibly!

No fossil synapsid eggs have ever been found, so they may have been very small and delicate like those of modern monotremes -- in fact, mammalian milk is thought to have evolved from specialized skin secretions that were originally used to keep eggs moist.

There’s also evidence of extended parental care as far back as varanopids (if they’re actually synapsids), so relatively ‘undeveloped’ puggle-like larval young could potentially be an ancestral trait for all synapsids.