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Synapsids

All articles tagged with #synapsids

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Early Permian Predators Targeted Big Plant-Eaters, Study Finds

A Scientific Reports study of bite marks on three young Permian herbivores shows that large predators were already shaping ecosystems more than 280 million years ago, with candidates like varanopid and sphenacodontid synapsids (e.g., Varanops and Dimetrodon) preying on big herbivores. The findings push back the timeline for predator–prey hierarchies on land and reveal a complex Permian food web that also involved arthropod borings and scavengers.

via Indian Defence Review|

#fossils #paleontology #permian

science9 months ago•3 min saved

New Fossils Rewrite the Evolution of Mammalian Upright Walking

New fossil analysis reveals that mammals did not walk upright as early as previously thought, showing a complex, nonlinear evolutionary path with bursts of innovation and a later development of upright posture than once believed.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#fossils #groundbreaking-discovery #mammal-evolution

paleontology2 years ago•4 min saved

Ancient Permian Monsters Preceded the Age of Dinosaurs

Before the rise of the dinosaurs, the Permian period was home to a diverse range of prehistoric animals, including synapsids like Dimetrodon, Cotylorhynchus, Edaphosaurus, Scutosaurus, and Inostrancevia. These creatures, which lived between 299 to 251 million years ago, were not dinosaurs but played important roles in the ecosystem. Unfortunately, a mass extinction event wiped out around 90 percent of life on Earth during the Permian Extinction. However, this extinction paved the way for the rise of the dinosaurs and subsequent biodiversity booms in the Triassic period.

via IFLScience|

#dinosaurs #extinction #paleontology