description Lystrosaurus declivis Overview
Lystrosaurus declivis is an extinct species of dicynodont therapsid known from southern Africa and dating to the interval around the Permian-Triassic boundary and Early Triassic. Like other members of its genus, it was a stocky, tusked herbivore with a beak adapted for cropping vegetation. Its abundant fossils are important for studying terrestrial ecosystems before and after the end-Permian mass extinction, when Lystrosaurus became unusually prominent in some faunal assemblages.
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Did Lystrosaurus declivis survive the Permian extinction?
Lystrosaurus species crossed the interval surrounding the end-Permian mass extinction and became extremely abundant in the Early Triassic. L. declivis is especially important in South African fossil sequences spanning this ecological crisis.
What did Lystrosaurus declivis eat?
It was a herbivorous dicynodont with a horny beak for cropping vegetation. Its paired tusks were enlarged canine teeth, while most other teeth were absent.
Was Lystrosaurus a dinosaur?
No. It was a dicynodont therapsid, placing it on the mammalian side of the amniote family tree rather than within Dinosauria.
Why are Lystrosaurus fossils important to continental drift?
Lystrosaurus fossils occur in now-separated regions including Africa, India, and Antarctica. Their distribution helped support the conclusion that these lands had once been joined within Gondwana.
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