Procynosuchidae
Extinct family of cynodonts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Procynosuchidae is an extinct family of therapsids which, along with Dviniidae, were the earliest cynodonts.[1] They appeared around 260 million years ago, and were most abundant during the latest Permian time (251 mya), shortly before the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Despite being the basal member of the cynodont clade, they already showed some of the advanced mammalian characteristics, but procynosuchids bore resemblance to the therocephalians.
| Procynosuchids Temporal range: Late Permian, | |
|---|---|
| |
| Procynosuchus delaharpeae from the Late Permian of South Africa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | Cynodontia |
| Family: | †Procynosuchidae Broom, 1938 |
| Genera | |
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Procynosuchid eyes were forward-facing, and the dentary was larger than the therocephalians. The procynosuchids had a secondary palate, which allows them to eat food while breathing, just like mammals. The procynosuchids became extinct at the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Some procynosuchids were terrestrial, but others like Procynosuchus were semi-aquatic.
