Diplocaulus

Not to be confused with Diplodocus.
Diplocaulus
Temporal range: 299–251 Ma

Early to Late Permian

Diplocaulus magnicornus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subclass: Lepospondyli
Order: Nectridea
Family: Diplocaulidae
Genus: Diplocaulus
Cope, 1877
Species
  • D. salamandroides Cope, 1877(type)
  • D. magnicornis Cope, 1882
  • ?D. brevirostris Olson, 1951
  • ?D. recurvatus Olson, 1952
  • ?D. minimus Dutuit, 1988
Synonyms

Genus-level:

  • Permoplatyops Case, 1946

Species-level:

  • Diplocaulus limbatus Cope, 1895
  • Diplocaulus copei Broili, 1902
  • Diplocaulus pusillus Broili, 1904
  • Permoplatyops parvus (Williston, 1918 [originally Platyops parvus])
  • Diplocaulus parvus Olson, 1972

Diplocaulus (meaning "double caul") is an extinct genus of lepospondyl amphibians from the Permian period of North America. It is one of the largest lepospondyls, with a distinctive boomerang-shaped skull. Remains attributed to Diplocaulus have been found from the Late Permian of Morocco and represent the youngest known occurrence of a lepospondyl.

Description

Diplocaulus had a stocky, salamander-like body, but was relatively large, reaching up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Its most distinctive features were the long protrusions on the sides of its skull, giving the head a boomerang shape.[1] Judging from its weak limbs and relatively short tail, it is presumed to have swum with an up-and-down movement of its body, similar to modern whales and dolphins. The wide head could have acted like a hydrofoil, helping the creature glide through the water. Another possibility is that the shape was defensive, since even a large predator would have a hard time trying to swallow a creature with such a wide head.[2] Rare trace fossils of Diplocaulus-like amphibians show that the tips of the boomerang-shaped head were connected to the body by flaps of skin.[3][4]

A close relative of Diplocaulus is Diploceraspis.

Diplocaulus on display

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Diplocaulus.
  1. Cruickshank, A. R. I.; Skews, B. W. (1980). "The Functional Significance of Nectridean Tabular Horns (Amphibia: Lepospondyli)". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 209 (1177): 513–537. doi:10.1098/rspb.1980.0110.
  2. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 55. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  3. von Walter, H.; Werneberg, R. (1988). "Über liegespuren (Cubichnia) aquatischer Tetrapoden (Diplocauliden, Nectridea) aus den Rotteroder Schichten (Rotliegendes, Thüringer Wald/DDR)". Freiberger Forschungshefte (Leipzig). C419: 96–106.
  4. Wright, J. L.; Samson, I. J. (1998). "The earliest known terrestrial tetrapod skin impressions (Upper Carboniferous, Shropshire, UK)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 18 (suppl.): 88A.
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