Summary: TEHRAN (FNA)- During the Triassic period (252-201 million years ago) mammal-like reptiles called therapsids co-existed with ancestors to dinosaurs, crocodiles, mammals, pterosaurs, turtles, frogs, and lizards.
Lisowicia is hugely exciting because it blows holes in many of our classic ideas of Triassic 'mammal-like reptiles'," says Dr Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki, Uppsala University.
Its anklebones and vertebral column are also similar to the anatomy of previously known
mammal-like reptiles.
The changes ill the anatomy of the jaws that took place as mammal-like reptiles evolved into mammals were characterized by an increase in the size of the temporalis muscle and the dentary bone and a reduction in the size of the postdentary bones (i.e., what was left of the mandibular arch) (figure 4).
These bones, which retained the same basic relationships in mammals as they did in mammal-like reptiles, are the malleus, incus, and stapes.
An army of
mammal-like reptiles dominated vertebrate life.
The researchers have unearthed exquisitely preserved skulls and bones from
mammal-like reptiles, along with fragments of what may be the oldest dinosaurs yet discovered.
"In fact, the teeth are extremely similar to those of certain mammals and certain very advanced
mammal-like reptiles."
By noting that the southern beech tree, certain
mammal-like reptiles known as Dicynodonts and other Australian flora and fauna are found only on Gondwana continents, scientists have determined that these continents were once linked .
the scientists say the most significant discoveries among the 3 tons of rock trucked from the Canadian site to Columbia and Harvard are 12 skulls and jaws of
mammal-like reptiles known as Tritheledonts.
One of the paleontologist's best weapons in the creation-versus-evolution debate is a family of
mammal-like reptiles called Tritylodonts, which clearly show the movement from bones in the lower jaw of reptiles to the ears of mammals.
Scientists on Thursday unveiled the discovery of a gigantic
mammal-like reptile the size of an elephant that they believe rubbed shoulders with large Triassic-era dinosaurs, including the relatives of sauropods such as Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus.