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489:). Very often the top of the head is rounded, and the bones of the forehead are elevated into a sort of dome or boss, in the middle of which is a large pineal opening. In some specimens this boss is of only moderate thickness, while in others it has become greatly thickened into a huge mass of bone (pachyostosis). It has been suggested that these animals engaged in intra-specific head-butting behavior, presumably for territory or mates. A similar thickening of the skull occurs in
443:
1467:
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ages, radiating into several lineages, existing simultaneously, and differing mainly in details of the skull and, to an even lesser degree, the skeleton. It is not clear how such similar animals could each find their own ecological niche, but such was obviously the case. There is a parallel here with
593:
Gregory (1926) considered that dinocephalians were aquatic animals, the wide hands and feet and the extensive fore and aft reach being useful for propelling the animal through water and the massive forehead being an advantage in diving. He suggested that the pineal organ might have been phototropic,
563:
There is some disagreement over whether these animals lived in dry upland environments (Colbert), swamps, or either, depending on the species or tribe. There is no doubt that the
Tapinocephalidae occupied different ecological niches. However, the tendency of earlier writers like Gregory (1926) and
597:
Tapinocephalines were seen by
Boonstra (1956) as semi-aquatic animals. The cumbersome body, poor locomotor apparatus and feeble lower jaw and massive cranium all suggested to him that these animals could not have fed efficiently on land on tough vegetation. Instead he presented them as wallowers,
453:
The body is deep and capacious, allowing for a developed herbivore gut. The shoulders are much higher than the pelvic region, so that the back slopes, giraffe-fashion, from neck to tail. This seems to imply that they fed on vegetation of about a meter or more from the ground. The limbs are heavy,
568:
consigned to the swamps because their limbs were too clumsy and their bodies too heavy for them to exist on dry land. In fact, if they were head-butters, it is unlikely they could have been clumsy swamp wallowers, since head-butting implies some degree of mobility.
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Rescuing the tapinocephalids from a life of diluvian swamp-wallowing, Bakker (1975, 1986) argued that bone histology, geographic distribution, and predator-prey relationships showed that these were active, fully terrestrial and at least partially
507:
In keeping with their vegetarian lifestyle, the chisel-edged teeth are undifferentiated, lacking canines, and rather peg-like. In maturity the teeth have a talon and a crushing heel and the upper and lower teeth of the whole battery intermesh.
402:, and the Tapinocephalinae. They are known from both Russia and South Africa. In all probability, the Tapinocephalidae had a worldwide (Pangean) distribution. They flourished briefly during the
520:, with an adult weight from about 500 to 1,000 kilograms (1,100 to 2,200 lb), possibly up to 1.5 or 2 tonnes (3,310 or 4,410 lb) in the largest forms, such as
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was terrestrial. It is quite likely that some tapinocephalid species may have frequented pond margins, feeding on soft vegetation, others preferred dry uplands.
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Bakker, RT (August 1986). "The
Dinosaur Heresies : New Theories Unlocking the Mystery of the Dinosaurs and Their Extinction".
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with sturdy forelegs that sprawled out to the sides, while the longer hind legs were placed directly under the hips (the
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The skeleton of
Moschops capensis Broom, a dinocephalian reptile from the Permian of South Africa
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Boonstra (1965) to consider them semi-aquatic wallowers is reminiscent of the old fable of the
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Others like McNab and Geist suggest that the tapinocephalids were better considered inertial
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The tapinocephalid skull is massively constructed, and either long-snouted (e.g.
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helping the animal to orient itself relative to the surface of the water.
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The tapinocephalids were an advanced family of giant herbivorous
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being buoyed up by water, feeding on soft marsh vegetation.
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had the same posture). The feet are broad and short.
694:The skull of Tapinocephalus and its near relatives
1593:
434:megafauna, a number of factors were involved.
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707:Bakker, RT (1975). "Dinosaur Renaissance".
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390:. It is defined as the clade containing
696:. Boonstra, LD. 1956. pp. 137–169.
682:. Boonstra, LD. 1965. pp. 251–265.
680:The skull of Struthiocephalus kitchingi
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668:. Gregory, WT. 1926. pp. 179–251.
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535:, these were the heavyweights of the
572:Boonstra suggests that form such as
120:. The skeleton is displayed at the
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729:10.1038/scientificamerican0475-58
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709:Scientific American
491:pachycephalosaurian
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1246:Estemmenosuchidae
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649:"†Tapinocephalia"
472:Moschops capensis
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118:Moschops capensis
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382:was an advanced
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230:
211:Infraorder:
205:Dinocephalia
185:
172:
117:
18:
1520:Wikispecies
1418:Ulemosaurus
1349:Mormosaurus
1310:Lamiasaurus
1150:Syodontinae
1132:Sinophoneus
1125:Anteosaurus
1105:Microsyodon
1060:Anteosauria
970:Novocynodon
963:Microurania
630:homeotherms
623:theriodonts
620:endothermic
616:pelycosaurs
613:ectothermic
609:endothermic
533:pareiasaurs
525:atherstonei
456:dicynodonts
448:Ulemosaurus
438:Description
432:Pleistocene
428:pareiasaurs
417:ceratopsian
393:Ulemosaurus
339:Ulemosaurus
1596:Categories
1289:Dinartamus
1166:Notosyodon
1016:Rhopalodon
906:see below↓
845:Therapsida
768:at Palaeos
636:References
602:Physiology
408:Capitanian
316:Moschopina
247:Subgroups
198:Suborder:
192:Therapsida
1214:Brithopus
885:Synapsida
870:Synapsida
836:Synapsida
819:Kingdom:
762:at Kheper
715:(4): 58.
566:sauropods
495:dinosaurs
470:Skull of
420:dinosaurs
413:hadrosaur
179:Synapsida
152:Kingdom:
146:Eukaryota
1511:Q3044557
1505:Wikidata
1471:Category
1390:Moschops
1303:Jonkeria
1228:Orthopus
827:Chordata
825:Phylum:
821:Animalia
587:Moschops
486:Moschops
331:Moschops
236:Lydekker
224:Family:
166:Chordata
162:Phylum:
156:Animalia
142:Domain:
1566:4128643
1540:4817747
1317:Scullya
1296:Enobius
717:Bibcode
559:Ecology
422:of the
404:Wordian
1553:117037
1180:Syodon
499:Eocene
384:family
1579:38978
1548:IRMNG
850:Clade
841:Clade
832:Clade
462:Skull
186:Clade
173:Clade
1535:GBIF
883:see
578:and
512:Size
415:and
411:the
406:and
240:1890
42:PreꞒ
725:doi
713:232
386:of
1598::
1576::
1563::
1550::
1537::
1522::
1507::
852::
843::
834::
723:.
711:.
657:^
625:.
539:.
504:.
396:,
238:,
188::
175::
92:Pg
36:Ma
31:,
1320:?
1029:?
1011:?
1000:?
989:?
981:?
973:?
795:e
788:t
781:v
731:.
727::
719::
651:.
360:†
352:†
346:†
336:†
328:†
320:†
314:†
308:†
298:†
292:†
282:†
276:†
270:†
260:†
254:†
228:†
215:†
202:†
97:N
87:K
82:J
77:T
72:P
67:C
62:D
57:S
52:O
47:Ꞓ
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