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Description
A semi-realistic reconstruction of Tapinocephalus that proves that I'm still on the Karoo Ice Age bandwagon.

So earlier today, I had a discussion with and about the metabolisms of dinocephalians, and how well they were suited for the arid ice age environment they had to live in. Myony explained that the estimated climate of Karoo during the Middle Permian was much like modern Finland, meaning that it would have likely snowed there, or at the very least been rather cold during the winter. My initial theory was that Tapinocephalians were endotherms that exploited their heat retentive body proportions to store body heat. However, that changed when Paleosir pointed out to me that while their bodies were able to store heat very well, and that dinocephalians did in fact have mammal-like bone vascularization, examination of the isotopes of their bones revealed that they were not true endotherms. We both came to the conclusion that these big dudes were mesotherms; while they produced very minimal internal body heat, their heavily vascularized bones combined with their body proportions allowed them to store and recycle the little heat they produce to the best and greatest efficiency, allowing them to thrive even in the coldest of Permian winters. Modern leatherback turtles also have very similar adaptations, allowing them to thrive in cold water in a similar manner. We also speculated that tapinocephalians would usually have short, sparse fur during warmer seasons, but grew long, shaggy winter pelts during the cold seasons to aid in trapping heat, somewhat similar to Cenozoic Ice Age mammoths and woolly rhinoceros.

In terms of habits, Tapinocephalus is extremely similar to Moschops, but it's skull is much thicker and bears a more prominent boss. This male is being ridden by a curious female Eunotosaurus, a primitive stem-turtle who was looking for warmth. Fortunately, she came to the right place.

Description
A semi-realistic reconstruction of Tapinocephalus that proves that I'm still on the Karoo Ice Age bandwagon.

So earlier today, I had a discussion with and about the metabolisms of dinocephalians, and how well they were suited for the arid ice age environment they had to live in. Myony explained that the estimated climate of Karoo during the Middle Permian was much like modern Finland, meaning that it would have likely snowed there, or at the very least been rather cold during the winter. My initial theory was that Tapinocephalians were endotherms that exploited their heat retentive body proportions to store body heat. However, that changed when Paleosir pointed out to me that while their bodies were able to store heat very well, and that dinocephalians did in fact have mammal-like bone vascularization, examination of the isotopes of their bones revealed that they were not true endotherms. We both came to the conclusion that these big dudes were mesotherms; while they produced very minimal internal body heat, their heavily vascularized bones combined with their body proportions allowed them to store and recycle the little heat they produce to the best and greatest efficiency, allowing them to thrive even in the coldest of Permian winters. Modern leatherback turtles also have very similar adaptations, allowing them to thrive in cold water in a similar manner. We also speculated that tapinocephalians would usually have short, sparse fur during warmer seasons, but grew long, shaggy winter pelts during the cold seasons to aid in trapping heat, somewhat similar to Cenozoic Ice Age mammoths and woolly rhinoceros.

In terms of habits, Tapinocephalus is extremely similar to Moschops, but it's skull is much thicker and bears a more prominent boss. This male is being ridden by a curious female Eunotosaurus, a primitive stem-turtle who was looking for warmth. Fortunately, she came to the right place.