Tritylodon

Tritylodon
Temporal range: Early Jurassic
Tritylodon longaevus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Clade: Therapsida
Clade: Cynodontia
Family: Tritylodontidae
Genus: Tritylodon
Owen, 1884
Type species
Tritylodon longaevus
Owen, 1884
Species
  • T. longaevus Owen, 1884
  • T. maximus

Tritylodon (from the Greek for "three-cusped tooth") is an extinct genus of tritylodonts, one of the most advanced group of cynodont therapsids. They lived in the Early Jurassic and possibly Late Triassic periods along with dinosaurs. They also shared many characteristics with mammals, and were once considered mammals because of overall skeleton construction. That was changed due to them retaining the vestigial amniote jawbones and a different skull structure. Tritylodonts are now regarded as non-mammalian synapsids.[1]

  1. ^ "Cynodontia: Tritylodontidae". Palaeos. Archived from the original on December 21, 2010.