Tupilakosauridae is an extinct

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of dvinosaurian

temnospondyl Temnospondyli (from Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered primitive amphibians—that flourished worldwide during the Carbo ...

s. It contains the genera ''

Slaugenhopia ''Slaugenhopia'' is an extinct genus of dvinosaurian temnospondyl within the family Tupilakosauridae. Fossils have been found from the Early Permian San Angelo Formation in Texas. The type and only species, ''S. texensis'', was named in 1962. It ...

'', '' Thabanchuia'', ''

Tupilakosaurus ''Tupilakosaurus'' is an extinct genus of dvinosaurian temnospondyl within the family Tupilakosauridae. Two species are known: *''Tupilakosaurus heilmani'' Nielsen, 1954 — Wordie Creek Formation, Greenland *''Tupilakosaurus wetlugensis'' Shish ...

'', and possibly ''

Kourerpeton ''Kourerpeton'' is an extinct genus of dvinosaurian temnospondyl. Fossils of ''Kourerpeton'' were discovered in a window of a barber's shop in either Bisbee or Mesa, Arizona. ''Kourerpeton'' was named in 1976, with the type and only species be ...

''. Tupilakosaurs are known from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The earliest tupilakosaur, ''Slaugenhopia'', is Early Permian in age while the latest known tupilakosaurs are

Early Triassic The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic Period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic Series, which is a un ...

in age.

Derived Derive may refer to: * Derive (computer algebra system), a commercial system made by Texas Instruments * ''Dérive'' (magazine), an Austrian science magazine on urbanism *Dérive, a psychogeographical concept See also * *Derivation (disambiguatio ...

tupilakosaurs possess embolomerous

centra Centra is a convenience shop chain that operates throughout Ireland. The chain operates as a symbol group owned by Musgrave Group, the food wholesaler, meaning the stores are all owned by individual franchisees. The chain has three different ...

in their

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...

e, which are diplospondylous. They also have a deep notch in the

pterygoid bone The pterygoid is a paired bone forming part of the palate of many vertebrates Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fis ...

of the palate. Tupilakosaurs were aquatic, and used an undulatory mode of swimming much like that of

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

References

External links

Tupilakosauridae
in the

Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms. History The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ...

Dvinosaurs Amphibian families Permian temnospondyls of Europe Permian temnospondyls of North America Permian France Permian Greenland Permian geology of Texas {{Permian-animal-stub