Struthiocephalus whaitsi

A rather common tapinocephalid from the Middle Permian of South Africa, this large long snouted soft plant eater is known from a number of specimens of both sex from juvenile to adults.

Name

Struthiocephalus whaitsi

Authority

Haughton, 1915

Meaning of generic name

Ostrich head

Size

Skull length: 50 cm ,Length: 3 m

Remains

Several skulls and postcranial elements

Age and Distribution

Horizon: Lower to Middle Tapinocephalus assemblage zone, Lower Beaufort beds, Middle Permian (Capitanian).

Type locality: Beaufort West, Karoo basin, South Africa.

Classification

Synapsida Therapsida Dinocephalia Tapinocephalia Tapinocephalidae

Further Reading

E. C. Olson and R. Broom. 1937. New genera and species of tetrapods from the Karroo Beds of South Africa. Journal of Paleontology 11(7):613-619 .

Synonyms

Moschosaurus whaitsi Haughton, 1915; Moschosaurus longiceps Haughton, 1915; Struthiocephalus rheederi Broom, 1937; Struthiocephalus milleri Olson & Broom, 1937; Struthiocephalus akraalensis Boonstra, 1952; Struthiocephalellus parvus Boonstra, 1954; Struthiocephalus kitchingi Brink, 1958