Dicynodontia

Dicynodontia is an extinct clade of anomodonts, an extinct type of non-mammalian therapsid. Dicynodonts were herbivores that typically bore a pair of tusks, hence their name, which means 'two dog tooth'. Members of the group possessed a horny, typically toothless beak, unique amongst all synapsids. Dicynodonts first appeared in Southern Pangaea during the mid-Permian, ca. 270–260 million years ago, and became globally distributed and the dominant herbivorous animals in the Late Permian, ca. 260–252 Mya. They were devastated by the end-Permian mass extinction that wiped out most other therapsids ca. 252 Mya. They rebounded at beginning of the following Triassic, but subsequently declined during the Late Triassic and died out towards the end of that period. They were the most successful and diverse of the non-mammalian therapsids, with over 80–90 genera known, varying from rat-sized burrowers to elephant-sized megaherbivores.

Dicynodontia

Nkansahrexford · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
dicynodontPBDB
Sits inside
AnomodontiaPBDB
Diet
herbivorePBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB, for Osteichthyes
Environment
terrestrialPBDB, for Amniota

Time the record covers

At least 142 million years on record.

The record covers at least 264.28 Mya to 121.4 Mya. No occurrence read is dated outside 298.9 Mya to 72.2 Mya.

Carboniferous — about 0 of 1092 occurrencesPermian — about 741 of 1092 occurrencesPermianEarly Triassic — about 132 of 1092 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 153 of 1092 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 61 of 1092 occurrencesLate TriassicEarly Jurassic — about 2 of 1092 occurrencesEarly JurassicMiddle Jurassic — about 0 of 1092 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 0 of 1092 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 2 of 1092 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 1 of 1092 occurrencesLate Cretaceous303–296 Mya — about 0.7 occurrences296–288 Mya — about 2 occurrences288–280 Mya — about 2 occurrences280–272 Mya — about 3 occurrences272–264 Mya — about 21 occurrences264–256 Mya — about 444 occurrences256–248 Mya — about 379 occurrences248–241 Mya — about 137 occurrences241–233 Mya — about 52 occurrences233–225 Mya — about 18 occurrences225–217 Mya — about 12 occurrences217–209 Mya — about 11 occurrences209–201 Mya — about 6 occurrences201–193 Mya — about 2 occurrences193–186 Mya — about 0.3 occurrences186–178 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences178–170 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences170–162 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences162–154 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences154–146 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences146–138 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences138–131 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences131–123 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences123–115 Mya — about 0.5 occurrences115–107 Mya — about 0.5 occurrences107–99 Mya — about 0.5 occurrences99–91 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences91–83 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences83–76 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences76–68 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences264.28 Mya121.4 Mya303 Mya68 Mya

1,092 occurrences of Dicynodontia on record, most of them in the Permian. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

1,092 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

78 formations

Teekloof — 32.15°S, 22.01°ETeekloof — 31.92°S, 21.52°ETeekloof — 32.23°S, 21.61°ETeekloof — 32.26°S, 21.66°ETeekloof — 32.24°S, 21.66°ETeekloof — 31.62°S, 23.20°ETeekloof — 31.91°S, 23.89°ETeekloof — 32.08°S, 22.11°ETeekloof — 32.39°S, 22.55°ETeekloof — 32.15°S, 22.73°ETeekloof — 31.97°S, 21.69°EBalfour — 31.72°S, 24.98°EBalfour — 32.13°S, 24.22°EBalfour — 32.10°S, 23.86°EBalfour — 32.15°S, 23.89°EBalfour — 31.42°S, 23.93°EBalfour — 31.96°S, 24.57°EBalfour — 31.91°S, 23.89°EBalfour — 31.87°S, 24.55°EBalfour — 32.04°S, 24.22°EBalfour — 32.16°S, 24.55°EBalfour — 32.05°S, 24.29°EBalfour — 30.51°S, 26.00°EBalfour — 31.95°S, 24.92°EBalfour — 31.76°S, 24.17°EBalfour — 31.95°S, 23.77°EBalfour — 33.00°S, 20.45°EBalfour — 32.09°S, 24.52°EBalfour — 30.42°S, 26.27°EBalfour — 31.71°S, 24.52°EBalfour — 32.34°S, 25.02°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 16.52°S, 27.95°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 10.57°S, 32.97°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 10.77°S, 33.17°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 10.70°S, 33.21°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 12.33°S, 32.00°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 12.18°S, 32.11°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 16.50°S, 28.08°EMadumabisa Mudstone — 16.55°S, 27.90°ESanta Maria — 29.80°S, 52.78°WSanta Maria — 29.67°S, 54.37°WSanta Maria — 29.57°S, 53.51°WSanta Maria — 29.75°S, 53.00°WSanta Maria — 29.72°S, 53.23°WSanta Maria — 29.88°S, 53.00°WSanta Maria — 29.73°S, 52.05°WSanta Maria — 30.01°S, 52.92°WSanta Maria — 29.62°S, 53.38°WAbrahamskraal — 32.42°S, 22.37°EAbrahamskraal — 33.08°S, 21.83°EAbrahamskraal — 33.17°S, 22.54°EAbrahamskraal — 33.11°S, 22.54°EAbrahamskraal — 33.03°S, 21.68°EAbrahamskraal — 33.06°S, 22.95°EAbrahamskraal — 33.07°S, 21.55°EAbrahamskraal — 32.37°S, 22.00°EAbrahamskraal — 32.49°S, 21.98°EAbrahamskraal — 32.49°S, 22.17°EAbrahamskraal — 32.44°S, 22.19°EAbrahamskraal — 32.11°S, 21.23°EAbrahamskraal — 32.97°S, 22.02°EAbrahamskraal — 32.35°S, 22.58°EAbrahamskraal — 32.91°S, 22.03°EAbrahamskraal — 31.32°S, 23.33°EAbrahamskraal — 31.40°S, 23.12°EAbrahamskraal — 32.89°S, 21.87°EAbrahamskraal — 31.90°S, 21.48°EKatberg — 30.50°S, 25.97°EKatberg — 30.47°S, 26.06°EKatberg — 31.18°S, 24.95°EKatberg — 32.00°S, 26.26°EKatberg — 31.73°S, 25.30°EKatberg — 31.87°S, 24.55°EKatberg — 32.12°S, 25.70°EKatberg — 31.84°S, 24.86°EKatberg — 32.18°S, 25.61°EKatberg — 32.29°S, 27.10°EUsili — 10.18°S, 35.15°EUsili — 10.25°S, 35.15°EUsili — 10.23°S, 35.05°EUsili — 10.38°S, 35.08°EUsili — 10.55°S, 34.95°EUsili — 10.30°S, 35.07°EUsili — 10.20°S, 35.38°EUsili — 10.27°S, 34.92°EErmaying — 36.92°N, 112.90°EErmaying — 36.98°N, 112.88°EErmaying — 36.97°N, 112.85°EErmaying — 37.08°N, 113.00°EErmaying — 39.00°N, 112.30°EErmaying — 39.68°N, 110.97°EErmaying — 39.43°N, 110.85°EErmaying — 38.48°N, 110.75°EErmaying — 37.50°N, 111.15°EErmaying — 38.47°N, 111.13°EErmaying — 37.29°N, 110.70°EBurgersdorp — 30.88°S, 26.22°EBurgersdorp — 31.70°S, 27.23°EBurgersdorp — 30.91°S, 26.11°EBurgersdorp — 31.73°S, 27.90°EBurgersdorp — 30.99°S, 26.32°EBurgersdorp — 31.61°S, 26.39°EBurgersdorp — 31.53°S, 26.40°EBurgersdorp — 30.61°S, 26.62°EBurgersdorp — 31.65°S, 24.98°EBurgersdorp — 30.66°S, 26.49°EBurgersdorp — 31.55°S, 26.50°EPanchet — 23.63°N, 86.97°EPanchet — 23.65°N, 86.88°EPanchet — 23.67°N, 86.98°EPanchet — 23.62°N, 87.13°ENormandien — 28.27°S, 29.13°ENormandien — 28.55°S, 29.08°ENormandien — 29.03°S, 26.40°EDonguz — 51.36°N, 55.31°EDonguz — 51.42°N, 55.43°EDonguz — 51.36°N, 55.49°EDonguz — 52.41°N, 55.65°EDonguz — 52.53°N, 53.50°EChinle — 34.44°N, 109.46°WChinle — 34.53°N, 109.32°WChinle — 38.65°N, 108.91°WChinle — 34.95°N, 109.76°WChinle — 35.38°N, 109.37°WChinle — 35.03°N, 109.85°WChinle — 35.87°N, 111.31°WChinle — 35.90°N, 111.38°WMiddleton/Balfour — 32.25°S, 24.53°EFremouw — 85.13°S, 174.83°WFremouw — 85.05°S, 172.50°EFremouw — 84.35°S, 164.05°EFremouw — 85.22°S, 175.50°WFremouw — 84.28°S, 164.35°EGuodikeng — 44.00°N, 88.83°EGuodikeng — 42.92°N, 89.17°EGuodikeng — 43.32°N, 88.88°EGuodikeng — 44.08°N, 88.88°EGuodikeng — 43.83°N, 87.84°ESalarevo — 61.19°N, 46.63°EManda Beds — 10.32°S, 35.22°EManda Beds — 10.36°S, 35.24°EManda Beds — 10.33°S, 35.25°EManda Beds — 10.35°S, 34.84°EChañares — 29.85°S, 67.78°WChañares — 29.78°S, 67.73°WChañares — 29.83°S, 67.82°WChañares — 29.89°S, 67.85°WKundaram — 19.25°N, 79.25°ECutties Hillock Sandstone — 57.66°N, 3.37°WOmingonde — 21.10°S, 16.45°EOmingonde — 21.06°S, 16.39°EMoenkopi — 35.20°N, 105.14°WMoenkopi — 35.02°N, 110.70°WMoenkopi — 34.90°N, 110.15°WJiucaiyuan — 43.98°N, 89.70°EJiucaiyuan — 44.00°N, 88.83°EJiucaiyuan — 43.20°N, 89.22°E

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The named rock units Dicynodontia has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 54 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 417 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Dicynodontia and its relatives

Permian

Where Dicynodontia and its relatives were recorded in the Permian.

Found in the same rock

622 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records 344 sites for Dicynodontia, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

273 references

Each of the 1,092 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 261 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Dicynodontia

Credit
Nkansahrexford
Licence
CC BY 3.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

Structured light scan

Licence
In Copyright
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record
Specimen
Dicynodontia indet. · NHMUK:PAL:PV R 12710

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itAnomodontia through timeFormations of the PermianThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Owen 1859)