Metoposauridae
Metoposauridae is a family of extinct synapsids, a group of mammals-like reptiles, that lived during the Permian period, approximately 299 to 273 million years ago. They are known from fossils found in South Africa, Russia, and China. Metoposaurids are characterized by their distinctive skull structure, which includes a large, flat snout and a pair of large, forward-facing eyes. This unique skull morphology is thought to have been an adaptation for burrowing or digging, as many metoposaurids are believed to have been fossorial.
The family Metoposauridae is divided into two subfamilies: Metoposaurinae and Paradoxosaurinae. Metoposaurinae includes the type genus
Metoposaurids are thought to have been small to medium-sized animals, with body lengths ranging from about
Despite their distinctive skull morphology, the evolutionary relationships of metoposaurids are still not fully understood. They