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05. Moschops

(Late Permian)

Mammals are the only survivors of a group called the synapsids. During the Permian (299-251 mya), synapsids were the most important land animals. Moschops was a giant, plant-eating synapsid with a thick skuli. Moschops males probably headbutted each other to fight for females.

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06. Varanops

(Early Permian)

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Synapsids gave rise to mammals during the Triassic (251-199 mya), but the earliest synapsids looked morę like lizards. \/aranops was a 3.3-ft- (1 -m-) long predator that hunted insects and other smali animals. It had numerous sharply pointed teeth. Later synapsid groups had teeth that were specialized for particular foods.

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08. Postosuchus

(Late Triassic)

The crurotarsans were predatory reptile cousins of dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Most walked on four legs, but some walked on two, just like meat-eating dinosaurs. Postosuchus was a giant crurotarsan with a huge head and short arms. It died out at the end of the Triassic

07. Metoposaurus

(Late Triassic)

Metoposaurus was related to Amphibamus, but around ten times the size. Special grooves on the bones of its skuli suggest that it had a lateral linę system, like sharks do. Lateral lines allow aquatic animals to sense vibrations in the water. Metoposaurus almost certainly skulked in the water, preying on fish and other animals.

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(c) 2011

srsley. Al

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Dinosaur ages h 70|71

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