Thrinaxodon
| Thrinaxodon Temporal range: Early Triassic |
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| Thrinaxodon liorhinus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Synapsida |
| Order: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | Cynodontia |
| Family: | †Thrinaxodontidae |
| Genus: | †Thrinaxodon Seeley, 1894 |
| Species | |
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Thrinaxodon was a genus of cynodont that lived during the Triassic Period (248-245 million years ago) notable for being a transitional fossil.[1] The two known species ranged in size from that of a small badger (50 cm) to ermine-sized (30 cm long) therapsid.[2] Pits on the skull suggest that Thrinaxodon may have had whiskers, but whether it also had fur is debated,[3] though it likely had a near-mammalian warm-blooded metabolism.[4] Even so, Thrinaxodon still laid eggs, and there were many reptilian features in its skeleton.[5]
Its remains were found on South Africa and Antarctica, supporting the notion that the two continents were once joined together.
Its name was taken from Greek θρῖναξ "trident, three-pronged fork" and ὀδούϛ ὀδόντ- "tooth" in reference to it's cheek teeth, but with a Greek language error: "Thrinacodon" would have been the grammatically correct form.
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[edit] Description
Thrinaxodon probably lived in shallow burrows dug into hillsides or riverbanks.[6]
A low-slung, sharp-toothed carnivore, Thrinaxodon lived in burrows, and its well-differentiated teeth suggest it ate small creatures like insects, reptiles, and other small animals. Clues to its remains show that this creature was more mammal-like than its synapsid ancestors. It had a fairly large head/skull with pits in the bone suggesting it had whiskers which, in turn, hints that its body was hairy. An enlarged dentary bone strengthened either side of the lower jaw and contained sockets for its teeth. Its chest and lower back regions were probably separated by a diaphragm - a muscular sheet that contracted to fill lungs, and would have enabled Thrinaxodon to breathe more efficiently than its ancestors.
There were many larger predators during the Late Triassic, including some of the earliest carnivorous dinosaurs, such as Coelophysis. Thrinaxodon had few defenses against these.
[edit] In popular culture
- In the television series Walking with Dinosaurs, a scaled-up version of Thrinaxodon was used for the reconstructed cynodonts seen in the first episode.
- Thrinaxodon is mentioned in Chapter 16 of Richard Dawkins's The Ancestor's Tale.
- Thrinaxodon is referenced in Magic: The Gathering through creatures known as Thrinaxes.[7]
- Thrinaxodon was featured in Episode 5 of Animal Armageddon.
- Thrinaxodon was cloned in Ancestor, by Scott Sigler.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "PHOTOS: 7 Major "Missing Links" Since Darwin". http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/photogalleries/darwin-birthday-evolution/.
- ^ Savage, R.J.G., and Long, M.R. (1986). Mammal Evolution: an illustrated guide. Facts On File Inc. p. 39. ISBN 081601194X.
- ^ Ruben, J.A.; Jones, T.D. (2000). "Selective Factors Associated with the Origin of Fur and Feathers." (PDF). Amer. Zool. 40: 585–596. doi:10.1093/icb/40.4.585. http://icb.oxfordjournals.org/content/40/4/585.full.pdf.
- ^ Chinsamy-Turan, edited by Anusuya (2012). Forerunners of mammals : radiation, histology, biology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-35697-0.
- ^ Kazlev, A.. "Thrinaxodon". Palaeos website. http://palaeos.com/vertebrates/cynodontia/epicynodontia.html#Thrinaxodon. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ Damiani R, Modesto S, Yates A, Neveling J (August 2003). "Earliest evidence of cynodont burrowing". Proc. Biol. Sci. 270 (1525): 1747–51. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2427. PMC 1691433. PMID 12965004. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1691433.
- ^ "Real- Thinaxdon appear in animal armegaddon. Life Thrinaxes". 2009-05-28. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/199. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- Tim Haines and Paul Chambers (2006). The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life. Firefly Books Ltd., Canada. 69.
- David Lambert (2003). Dinosaur Encyclopedia. DK Publishing, New York. 202-203.
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