HOME | DD

Description
The dominant race that ruled throughout the Permian were the synapsids, a group of endothermic, hairy/bare skinned mammal-like creatures that modern mammals (which are themselves extant synapsids) descended from. During the Middle Permian in particular, the most abundant group of synapsids were dinocephalids, a clade of therapsids named for their thick, fused skulls that they used to headbutt and compete for mates. Perhaps the most famous dinocephalid was the South African Moschops.
Moschops was a donkey-sized tapinocephalid herbivore with a large body and a semi-sprawled posture. It's head was raised up higher than its shoulders, and much like a crocodile it was capable of doing a high-walk. It fed on nutrient-poor cycad plants, eating very large quantities in order to satisfy it's hunger. Being an animal adapted to live in dry, arid desert environments, Moschops was capable of going on for many days without food or water. During the mating season, males would compete for mates by engaging in headbutting contests with eachother, with the winner being the one who gets the girl. Moschops lived during the same time and in the same location as its close relative Keratocephalus and predators such as Anteosaurus and Titanosuchus.
Along with Dimetrodon and (to a lesser extent) gorgonopsids, Moschops is one of the few synapsids to gain fame and pop-culture status, being described in many children's books throughout the 1900's. In fact, it is the very first synapsid to have a TV show named after it. Unfortunately like its distant relative Dimetrodon, Moschops is very frequently misidentified as a dinosaur by people outside of of the field of paleontology, due to its very reptile-like skeletal anatomy.

Description
The dominant race that ruled throughout the Permian were the synapsids, a group of endothermic, hairy/bare skinned mammal-like creatures that modern mammals (which are themselves extant synapsids) descended from. During the Middle Permian in particular, the most abundant group of synapsids were dinocephalids, a clade of therapsids named for their thick, fused skulls that they used to headbutt and compete for mates. Perhaps the most famous dinocephalid was the South African Moschops.
Moschops was a donkey-sized tapinocephalid herbivore with a large body and a semi-sprawled posture. It's head was raised up higher than its shoulders, and much like a crocodile it was capable of doing a high-walk. It fed on nutrient-poor cycad plants, eating very large quantities in order to satisfy it's hunger. Being an animal adapted to live in dry, arid desert environments, Moschops was capable of going on for many days without food or water. During the mating season, males would compete for mates by engaging in headbutting contests with eachother, with the winner being the one who gets the girl. Moschops lived during the same time and in the same location as its close relative Keratocephalus and predators such as Anteosaurus and Titanosuchus.
Along with Dimetrodon and (to a lesser extent) gorgonopsids, Moschops is one of the few synapsids to gain fame and pop-culture status, being described in many children's books throughout the 1900's. In fact, it is the very first synapsid to have a TV show named after it. Unfortunately like its distant relative Dimetrodon, Moschops is very frequently misidentified as a dinosaur by people outside of of the field of paleontology, due to its very reptile-like skeletal anatomy.