Pareiasaur

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Pareiasaur

The Pareiasaurs - family Pareiasauridae - are a group of medium-sized to large herbivorous

Herbivore

Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism, known as an herbivore, heterotrophs principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria....
anapsid

Anapsid

An anapsid is an amniote whose skull does not have temporal fenestra near the Temple s.While "anapsid reptiles" or "anapsida" are traditionally spoken of as if they were a coherent group, it has been suggested that several groups of reptiles that had anapsid skulls may be only distantly related: scientists still debate the exact relationshi...
reptiles that flourished during the Permian

Permian

The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian system" after the ancient kingdom...
period. Sizes of known Pareiasaurs was from 60 cm to 3 meters long. Their build was quite stocky, often with rather short tails and small heads. These ungainly-looking animals had very large bodies (weights of 600 kg

Kilogram

The kilogram or kilogrammeThe spelling kilogram is used by the International Committee for Weights and Measures and the U.S....
would not have been unusual), strong limbs, broad feet, and short tails.

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Encyclopedia

The Pareiasaurs - family Pareiasauridae - are a group of medium-sized to large herbivorous

Herbivore

Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism, known as an herbivore, heterotrophs principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria....
anapsid

Anapsid

Permian

Kilogram

Scute

A scute or scutum is a chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodiles, or the feet of some birds....
s (osteoderm

Osteoderm

Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of Extant taxon and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodylians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and Nanchangosaurus ....
s) set in the skin, as a defense against predators. But the most unusual thing about them were the heavy skull

Skull

The skull is a bone structure found in the head of many animals. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury....
s ornamented with strange knobs and ridges.

The leaf-shaped multi-cusped teeth resemble those of iguana

Iguana

Iguana is a genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and South America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena in 1768....
s, caseids

Caseidae

The Caseidae were a widespread group of very primitive herbivorous synapsids, which appeared during the later early Permian and persisted until the late middle Permian....
, and other reptilian herbivores. This dentition, together with the deep capacious body (which would have housed an extensive digestive tract) indicate that these fearsome-looking animals were herbivore

Herbivore

Herbivory is a form of predation in which an organism, known as an herbivore, heterotrophs principally autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria....
s.

Lee (1997) has argued that Pareiasaurs evolved into turtle

Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines , most of whose body is shielded by a special bone or cartilage animal shell developed from their ribs....
s. They had turtle-like skull features, and in several genera the scutes had developed into bony plates, possibly the precursors of a turtle shell. However, critics have pointed out problems in this view, such as the non-homology

Homology (biology)

In evolutionary biology, homology refers to any similarity between characteristics that is due to their common descent. The word homologous derives from the ancient Greek ??????e??, 'to agree'....
between pareiasaur scutes and the turtle shell.

In fiction

In Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an United States author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter , although he produced works in many genres....
' novel Tarzan at the Earth's Core

Tarzan at the Earth's Core

Tarzan at the Earth's Core is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, simultaneously the thirteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan and the fourth in his series set in the interior world of Pellucidar....
, the characters encounter Pareiasaurs in Pellucidar

Pellucidar

Pellucidar is a Fictional country Hollow Earth milieu invented by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. In a notable crossover event between Burroughs' series, there is a Tarzan story in which the Ape Man finds his way into Pellucidar....
. They are called Gorobors by the native Pellucidarians. In the book they are portrayed as the fastest of all animals.

The British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
ITV

ITV

ITV is a public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television network of British television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC....
show Primeval

Primeval

Primeval is a British science fiction television series.Primeval or prim?val may also refer to:* Primeval , a 2007 film* Primeval , a score of music from the BBC TV series Doctor Who...
shows pareiasaurs in several episodes, though these pareiasaurs are shown being the size of elephants, much larger than the actual creature.