Produced by the Population Genetics and Evolution class, Furman University

Moschops
Moschops were large, four-legged herbivorous therapsids (Tamura 2009). They grew to lengths of up to sixteen feet and possessed chisel like teeth for clipping plants. They walked on four legs; their front legs were sprawled out from their body like reptiles, but their hind legs were positioned underneath their body like mammals (Enchanted Learning 2009). One of their most interesting characteristics was their cranium. It was compromised of a very thick frontoparietal shield, with a thick bony ridge behind the eye - giving the organism an oddly shaped head. These thick skulls may have been used for intraspecific head-butting combat for mates. The presence of a greatly expanded occiput supports this hypothesis; it would have greatly aided in cranial shock absorption following a collision (Barghusen 1975).

Page by Iggy Gaska
Skeletal rendition of Moschops. Photo from: Wikimedia.com

Barghusen HR.1975. A Review of Fighting Adaptations in Dinocephalians (Reptilia, Therapsida). Paleobiology. 3:295-311.

Enchanted Learning.2009.Moschops. Accessed March 15, 2009.

Tamura N. 2009.Paleocritti. Moschops capensis. Accessed March 17, 2009.