Reptile
Ulemosaurus svijagensis
Ulemosaurus svijagensisUlemosaurus was a heavily built, barrel-chested herbivore characterized by an exceptionally thickened, domed skull roof likely used in ritualized head-butting contests. High shoulders sloped down toward lower hindquarters, giving it a sloping gait well-suited for plodding across riparian floodplains in search of tough, fibrous Permian flora. Its massive jaws held interlocking chisel-like teeth designed to shear through fibrous horsetails and primitive seed plants before the Capitanian mass extinction brought an end to dinocephalian dominance.
HerbivorePrehistoric
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyHorsetails, Seed ferns, Clubmosses
Predators
- Titanophoneus potens
ThreatsCapitanian mass extinction and arid climate transitions
HabitatsRiparian floodplains and semi-arid inland river basins
Life spanEstimated 20–30 years
Classification
- FamilyUlemosauridae
- GenusUlemosaurus
- SpeciesUlemosaurus svijagensis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Extinct prehistoric animal; known only from fossil remains.
Responsible observation
- Fossil Examination: Look for the thickened cranial roof bone when studying museum casts.
- Museum Etiquette: Respect barrier boundaries when observing mounted skeletal specimens.
Predator Pavel Bochkov from Moscow, Russia / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative William King Gregory, American Museum of Natural History / Public domain · cc0
Close Relative Ghedoghedo / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative DiBgd at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.