Mastodonsaurus

Mastodonsaurus
Temporal range: Middle Triassic
Skeleton of Mastodonsaurus giganteus in the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: †Temnospondyli
Suborder: †Stereospondyli
Clade: †Capitosauria
Family: †Mastodonsauridae
Genus: †Mastodonsaurus
Jaeger, 1828
Type species
†Mastodonsaurus jaegeri Holl, 1829
Other species
  • †M. giganteus (Jaeger, 1828)
  • †M. cappelensis Wepfer, 1923
  • †M. torvus Konzhukova, 1955
Synonyms
  • Batrachosaurus? Fitzinger, 1837
  • Heptasaurus Säve-Söderbergh, 1935 (likely synonym)
  • Labyrinthodon Owen, 1841
  • Salamandroides Jaeger, 1828

Mastodonsaurus (meaning "teat tooth lizard") is an extinct genus of temnospondyl from the Middle Triassic of Europe. It belongs to a Triassic group of temnospondyls called Capitosauria, characterized by their large body size and presumably aquatic lifestyles. Mastodonsaurus remains one of the largest amphibians known, and may have exceeded 6 meters (20 feet) in length.