| Tritylodontidae Temporal range: Late Triassic – Early Cretaceous
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| Life restoration of Oligokyphus triserialis | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | Cynodontia |
| Superfamily: | †Tritylodontoidea |
| Family: | †Tritylodontidae Cope, 1884 |
| Genera | |
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See below | |
Tritylodontidae ("three-knob teeth", named after the shape of their cheek teeth) is an extinct family of small to medium-sized, highly specialized mammal-like cynodonts, with several mammalian traits including erect limbs, endothermy and details of the skeleton.[1] They were the last-known family of the non-mammaliaform synapsids, persisting into the Early Cretaceous.[2]
Most tritylodontids are thought to have been herbivorous, feeding on vegetation such as stems, leaves, and roots, although at least one may have had a more omnivorous diet.[3] Tritylodontid fossils are found in the Americas, South Africa, and Eurasia—they appear to have had an almost global distribution, including Antarctica.[4]
- ^ Kemp T (2004). The Origin and Evolution of Mammals. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-850761-1.
- ^ Matsuoka H, Kusuhashi N, Corfe IJ (July 2016). "A new Early Cretaceous tritylodontid (Synapsida, Cynodontia, Mammaliamorpha) from the Kuwajima Formation (Tetori Group) of central Japan". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (4): e1112289. Bibcode:2016JVPal..36E2289M. doi:10.1080/02724634.2016.1112289. S2CID 130588924.
- ^ Hu Y, Meng J, Clark JM (2009). "A New Tritylodontid from the Upper Jurassic of Xinjiang, China". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 54 (3): 385–391. doi:10.4202/app.2008.0053.
- ^ Hammer WR, Smith ND (2008). "A Tritylodont Postcanine from the Hanson Formation of Antarctica". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28: 269–273. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[269:atpfth]2.0.co;2. S2CID 130101582.