Thrinaxodon
| Thrinaxodon Temporal range: Early Triassic,
| |
|---|---|
| Fossil of T. liorhinus in National Museum of Natural History | |
| Diagram of skull in lateral view | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | Cynodontia |
| Clade: | Epicynodontia |
| Family: | †Thrinaxodontidae Watson & Romer, 1956 |
| Genus: | †Thrinaxodon Seeley, 1894 |
| Type species | |
| Thrinaxodon liorhinus Seeley, 1894
| |
Thrinaxodon is an extinct genus of cynodonts which lived in what are now South Africa and Antarctica during the Early Triassic. The genus contains a single species, T. liorhinus.
Similar to other therapsids, Thrinaxodon adopted a semi-sprawling posture, an intermediary form between the sprawling position of basal tetrapods and the more upright posture present in current mammals. Thrinaxodon is prevalent in the fossil record, and one of the specimens represent the oldest known record of burrowing behavior among cynodonts.