tusoteuthis is a genus of cretaceous cephalopod molluscs .

one species , t. longa , has been identified so far , and examination of gladius remains has yielded an estimated mantle length close to or equal to that of the modern giant squid .

recent studies suggest a closer relationship to the vampire squid than the modern-day giant squid .

tusoteuthis is assumed to have preyed on other cephalopods , fish , and possibly even small marine reptiles .

despite its size , which was around 20 to 35 feet ( 6 to 11 metres ) long with tentacles fully outstretched , tusoteuthis was still preyed on by other animals , especially the many , various predatory fish of the western interior seaway .

a fossil of the predatory aulopiform , cimolichthys nepaholica , was found with the gladius of t. longa in its gullet .

the back portion of the gladius was in the stomach region , while the mouth of c. nepaholica had remained opened , suggesting that the fish had died in the middle of swallowing the squid , tail first .

researchers strongly suspect that as the fish was swallowing tusoteuthis , the head and/or tentacles remained outside the mouth , thus blocking the gills of the fish , and suffocating it as it swallowed its prey .

tusoteuthis

tusoteuthis <EOT> admincheat spawndino " blueprint ' / game / primalearth / dinos / tusoteuthis / tusoteuthis _ character _ bp . tusoteuthis _ character _ bp ' " 500 0 0 35

similar to mosasaurus , the tusoteuthis dislikes shallow water and will de - aggro .

unlike other passive tames , taming affinity is not reset when the tusoteuthis takes damage .

ark insight ! - = - which is better ? mosasaurus v . s tusoteuthis !

the tusoteuthis is a massive , aggressive squid found in the depths of the oceans . in battle , the tusoteuthis can grab its prey and knock it unconcious , siphoning its blood to gain health . once tamed , the ink from a tusoteuthis can be used as a constant oil source . some survivors choose to hunt the tusoteuthis for its oil .

using the ( pc ) , ( ps4 ) , ( xbox one ) , the tusoteuthis can pick up another creature with its tentacles . while holding a non - friendly target , the tusoteuthis will constantly inflict torpor until the target is unconscious . note that the tusoteuthis cannot hold an unconscious target .

the tusoteuthis ' s taming method differs from most creatures . please ignore its interval and time calculations .

the tusoteuthis ( too - so - too thiss ) is an aquatic creature in ark : survival evolved .

one of the major benefits of taming tusoteuthis is harvesting its ink . unlike normal ink , tusoteuthis ' ink is very oily , and can even be refined into fuels such as gasoline . between that and tusoteuthis ' distinctive capability to grab & carry large creatures underwater , it makes for an excellent aquatic tame , despite its slower speed .

the tusoteuthis " does not want to be tamed right now " unless it has a creature within its clutches .

tusoteuthis attack can reach far onto the shore and decimate penguin populations in seconds . gathering large amounts of polymer .

tusoteuthis cannot sprint while holding another creature , keep this in mind when using it to transport other friendly tames .

left : a painting of tusoteuthis in a diorama at the sternberg museum of natural history in hays , kansas .

this section displays the tusoteuthis ' s natural colors and regions . for demonstration , the regions below are colored red over an albino tusoteuthis . the colored squares shown underneath each region ' s description are the colors that the tusoteuthis will randomly spawn with to provide an overall range of its natural color scheme . hover your cursor over a color to display its name and id .

with a high armor saddle . stimulants may also be required for taming higher level tusoteuthis , as an unconscious carbonemys is of no interest to the tusoteuthis . the lower the durability of the carbonemys and the higher the dps of the tusoteuthis : the more carbonemys that may be required or sacrificed . other high durability tames also work , but anything that requires oxygen is not recommended .

however , tusoteuthis will now eat regular meat and raw fish meat . it does not require black pearls for food when domesticated .

using the ( pc ) , ( ps4 ) , ( xbox one ) , the tusoteuthis swipes its massive tentacles at the target .

tusoteuthis vampyrus is a very aggressive water predator . approximately 30 feet long , tusoteuthis is a terror of the deep . once it grabs its prey , it slowly crushes it into submission while using the talons on its tentacles to siphon and drink the victim ' s blood !

* rank of the base stat of the tusoteuthis vs . all other creatures . ( rank # 1 in health = highest health creature . )

a monstrous relative of the vampire squid , tusoteuthis bears a closer resemblance to giant squids , but is much more terrifying than its timid kin . tusoteuthis has powerful tentacles with hooked suckers , capable of drawing blood and keeping even a megalodon from escaping a horrible fate . a parrot - like beak hides in the center of the writhing mass , ripping flesh , shell , and bone into easy - to - swallow bits . tusoteuthis also possesses the ability to spray an oily ink if it is in danger . fearing only the mosasaurus , tusoteuthis is a true terror of the deep .

when possible , try to steer the tusoteuthis away from terrain - it is currently possible for its grab to release creatures / players under the ground .

on the center , tusoteuthis can rarely spawn in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall under the land bridge connecting redwoods to the snowy grasslands .

the tusoteuthis on release was originally supposed to be much smaller , but on a last minute change was changed to be the size it is today .

while holding a target , the tusoteuthis will constantly inflict torpor , until the target is unconscious , making it the most efficient knock - out aquatic taming mount . note that the tusoteuthis cannot hold an unconscious target , so the mount will let go of the tame as soon as it ' s tranquilized .

similar to polymer farming , the tusoteuthis ' reach and aoe allows it to harvest cnidaria with impunity , making it a good bulk harvester of bio toxin .

using c ( pc ) , ( ps4 ) , ( xbox one ) , the tusoteuthis releases a large ink cloud to completely obscure vision for a limited time .

tusoteuthis is found only in very deep water , where it swims about at a slow pace . if it spots the player or a tamed creature , it will begin to move itself towards the player or said creature and attack it . because of the unique body plan of cephalopods , a tusoteuthis must turn itself around to strike with its tentacles .

while carrying a creature with its tentacles and using the ( pc ) , ( ps4 ) , ( xbox one ) , the tusoteuthis will crush the target for considerable damage .

right : a field shot of a partial squid pen of tusoteuthis longa that i collected in may , 2010 . a fragment of a inoceramid shell was laying across the gladius .

this section describes how to fight against the tusoteuthis . generally the squid is a very strong enemy , a confrontation should be avoided if you ' re not sure you can win .

tusoteuthis is a terrifying opponent for several reasons . firstly , its grab slowly renders its victim unconscious , so death isn ' t the only concern . secondly , its vampiric blood drain instantly revitalizes it , even during combat . finally , if tusoteuthis is losing the fight , it sprays a cloud of ink into the surrounding water , blinding its attackers to cover a sneaky escape .

you can also use another tusoteuthis to fight it . focus mainly on melee damage , with a little health . swim up to the tusoteuthis and start attacking it . it will try to grab you , but it is not able to . keep attacking it until it tries to flee . because the tusoteuthis has a wide turning radius , you can keep hitting it as it tries to turn . if it is a lower level , you should be able to kill it before it gets away . if it gets away , follow it . tamed tusoteuthis have double the movement speed of wild ones , so you should be able to catch it . as long as the wild squid is near the ground , it will probably run into rocks , where you can kill it .

server admins can use this region information in the console command " cheat settargetdinocolor < colorregion > < colorid > " . for example , " cheat settargetdinocolor 0 6 " would color the tusoteuthis ' s " body highlights " magenta .

in ark : survival evolved , the tusoteuthis eats 50 black pearls , 30 cooked prime meat , 20 raw meat , 30 cooked prime fish meat , 30 cooked meat , 20 raw fish meat , and 30 cooked fish meat .

tusoteuthis was a cretaceous relative of the modern vampire squid - which is likely the inspiration for its blood - sucking tendencies described in the dossier ( although it ' s worth noting that vampire squids don ' t actually drink blood . )

tusoteuthis was native to the western interior seaway , an ocean that split north america in half during the late cretaceous . despite being comparable in size to modern giant squid , it was still far from the top of the local food chain .

fast forward to 2012 . . . . trish and dan came back to kansas to see if we could repeat our earlier success . . . first day , no luck but by noon of the second day , we had another nice specimen of tusoteuthis longa .

right : an artist ' s reconstruction showing the location of the squid pen within the body of the squid , and an artist ' s conception of what the late cretaceous squid , tusoteuthis longa logan may have looked like ( exhibits - sternberg museum of natural history ) .

nicholls , e . l . and isaak , h . 1987 . stratigraphic and taxonomic significance of tusoteuthis longa logan ( coleoidea , teuthida ) from the pembina member , pierre shale ( campanian ) , of manitoba . journal of paleontology 61 ( 4 ) : 727 - 737 , 5 figs .

the evidence of bite marks in some squid pens shows that squid were eaten by many predators including fish and mosasaurs ( stewart and carpenter 1990 ) . click here for a picture of a very large tusoteuthis longa fossil from the pierre shale in the museum of natural history at the university of kansas .

left : a specimen of large ( 1 . 5 m ) cimolichthys nepaholica ( ucm 29556 ) from the redbird shale of wyoming that died trying to swallow a tusoteuthis longa squid . the rachis of the squid is plainly visible inside the ribs of the fish . photo copyright © 2012 by trish weaver . scale = 30 cm .

left : tusoteuthis , a ' giant ' squid that lived in the western interior sea , may have been as long as 25 ft . ( 7 . 5 m ) , although there is little or no proof of their size because so little of their body is preserved . in any case , it probably wasn ' t nearly as large as shown in this dramatic painting in the university of kansas museum of natural history .

while riderless , the tusoteuthis will not wait long to let go of your creature - making a team of two the safest option , as the distraction ' s rider can remain mounted until the creature is fed and then dismount themselves and swim up . if you do attempt to solo tame , flippers are recommended for speedy getaways . make sure your tame is on passive and set to follow , and if it survives the feeding it will swim up to safety the moment the squid lets go .

name : tusoteuthis . phonetic : too - so - te - ew - fiss . named by : logan  -  1898 . classification : mollusca ,  cephalopoda ,  cephalopoda ,  coleoidea ,  vampyromorphida ? species : t .  longa ( type )  . diet : carnivore . size : estimates vary and range from about 6 to 11 meters long ( based upon giant squid and if measured from the mantle to the tips of the tentacles )  . known locations : canada ,  manitoba  -  pierre shale formation . time period : campanian of the cretaceous . fossil representation : several specimens of the gladius ( shell inside of the mantle )  .

further reading -  statigraphic and taxonomic significance of tusoteuthis longa logan ( coleoida ,  teuthida ) from the pembina member ,  pierre shale ( campanian )  ,  of manitoba .  journal of palaeontology ,  61 ( 4 ) 727 - 737  -  e .  l .  nicholls & h .  isaak  -  1987 . -  cretaceous fish predation on a large squid .   -  evolutionary paleobiology of behaviour and coevolution ,  195 - 197 .   -  e .  g .  kaufman  -  1990 . -  examples of vertebrate predation on cephalopods in the late cretaceous of the western interior .   -  evolutionary paleobiology of behaviour and coevolution ,  203 - 207 .   -  j .  d .  stewart & k .  carpenter  -  1990 .

keeping cephalopods in captivity ceph care equipment list before you get an octopus as a pet . . . octopus basics - keeping an octopus as a pet keeping an octopus octopus bimaculoides care sheet ceph care , past and future ink ' s story ( o . bimaculoides ) before you buy a cuttlefish . . . . cuttlefish basics - keeping a cuttlefish as a pet keeping and breeding dwarf cuttlefish sepia bandensis : husbandry and breeding tankmates : it works until it doesn ' t o . chierchiae babies ( lpso ) packing and shipping cephalopods diy skimmer

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by phil eyden - 2003 note : phil welcomes discussion on this article in the cephalopod fossils forum . introduction

, the giant and colossal squid , are enigmatic and awe inspiring animals . very little is known about the lifestyle of these spectacular animals , despite the examination of numerous corpses of

, much of what we know about the animals ' behaviour and lifestyle boils down to educated speculation . what is not so well known is that these modern squid were not the first giant squid in the earths

, giant turtles and plesiosaurs about 80 million years ago during the late cretaceous period . imagine the difficulties of reconstructing these ancient animals when all we have to go on are fragmentary fossilised remains of the pens , or

providing strengthening and support for the mantle , the main body of the squid .

alopods ; soft bodied parts , in those rare cases of exceptional preservation , are not generally diagnostic or much use in determining species interrelationships . unfortunately the

alopods to imagine how much we have lost and will never be able to reconstruct with these ancient animals .

is the most common specimen and this is known from just 25 examples ( 1987 figure ) . prehistoric giant squid remains are known purely from the shallow western interior seaway , which was a vast sea that bisected

the early cretaceous following a period of rapid global warming , sea floor spreading and rise .

this seaway is thought to have been very shallow , generally less than 600 feet deep , with a flat muddy bottom .

each of these species was described on the basis of a single specimen . all these animals are known from remains of the

alone , the stiffening rod running the length of the mantle , the different species were known from variations in the size and form of this cuttlebone until recent revisions grouped all these animals together under one genus .

member of the pierre shale that lies immediately above the chalk at a date of 79 million years old .

was described by h . w . miller in 1957 on the basis of three specimens found in the late thirties in the

1977 by r . g . green on the basis of one very badly crushed specimen .

and lacked a prominent keel . however , it may be misleading to identify these large squid as separate animals ; a 1987 paper by

the differences in morphology noted above could be explained as artifacts of preservation , deformations caused by crushing during the process of fossilization and misinterpretation of dorsal and ventral surfaces . the sole specimen of the

to be so badly broken and crushed that any attempt at reconstruction would be largely hypothetical . this theory has now achieved general acceptance ; all recorded examples of

giant prehistoric squid are also known from other parts of the world . at richmond , in queensland , australia a 100 million year old 1 . 3 metre

in her honour . this is currently on display at the richmond marine fossil museum . students in queensland located a contemporary second gladius in 1998 that measured over a meter in length and possibly shows evidence of predation by

" taxonomy is still being compiled . the evolutionary history of the orders of squid and other non -

, or pen , and even that is very rarely preserved due to its delicate nature . much of what is currently understood about evolutionary relationships of these animals has not been agreed upon ; there are two or three differing models of the

tree , each new discovery may call for the models to be reworked . the only really well preserved

, and a handful of other lesser known localities . these represent snapshots of biodiversity ; what happened in between them is tantamount to educated guesswork with rare and isolated specimens providing evolutionary clues . most collections in museums are labelled simply as " fossil

a little of the evolutionary history has been determined , even if it is somewhat speculative . it is currently thought that these ancient giant squid were members of the

, the vampire squid . this is in common with many of the jurassic "

group that failed to survive the mass extinction at the end of the cretaceous . these palaeololiginidae are well documented in

and was working from a description ; nichols and isaac revised the family to the kelaenidae in 1987 . ( miller had also assigned

lived in the devonian period , possibly over 380 million years ago . as these giants are not believed to be ancestral to

' immediate ancestors makes it impossible to determine when the recent giants arose . the difference between

of preservation and the animals may , in fact be one and the same . the radically different shape of the

may indicate that these western interior seaway squid had a differing external appearance in the shape of the mantle , perhaps broader at posterior end of the animal .

of the six manitoba specimens measures at just over 1 . 2m in length but the sixth and most recently recovered specimen is larger but incomplete , and would have belonged to an animal which was a third larger again ; it is unknown what the maximum size adult animal would have been . if one assumes a consistent growth rate maintaining the same proportions and ratios , then this sixth

would have been approximately in the order of 1 . 8m if complete , and there is no evidence to suggest that this was fully grown . at the time of writing ( may 2004 ) , another

measuring six foot ( 1 . 8m ) is being prepared for display at the north dakota heritage centre at

can be taken to be 2 . 15m ( one specimen had a mantle length of 2 . 25m and the

was of comparable size , if a little shorter . with so few specimens to work from we cannot be sure what was the maximum size attained by

, but the standard length ( tip of arms to tip of mantle ) may have been of a similar size . we may be looking at an adult

have this feature . arm hooks are likely , but suckers do not fossilise and their presence cannot be determined .

and the ancient giants is that of lifestyle as they lived in very different environments .

as it lived in shallower conditions with more available light . there is some indirect evidence that these

, an important marine predator in the seaway , and not likely to have been a deep diving animal .

probably would have constituted a major dietary component for fish and marine reptiles throughout the western interior seaway . the evidence for this comes from coprolites ( fossilised faeces ) , damaged

a total of five specimens of coprolites have been collected from separate locations ( 1987 figure ) . two of these coprolites were collected from a

, one of which also contains fish teeth and vertebrae . from the coprolites alone it is difficult to determine what animal was eating

but from the small size of these coprolites researchers have concluded that this was probably some form of large predatory fish ( largest is 4 . 78cm x 3 . 82cm ) .

, it is believed that this is probably the stomach contents of a large carnivore of indeterminate origin . this specimen measures 26 . 7cm x 16 . 5cm x 4 . 4cm is currently held at

, the predators are identifiable . a spectacular discovery of a partial specimen of the predatory fish

that had been swallowed whole , and was so large it had probably choked the fish to death .

probably related to the salmon and resembling a barracuda in form with conical and widely spaced teeth suitable for puncturing flesh . it is believed to have been an open water predator adapted for sustained swimming and rapid bursts of speed and was a long - ranging and common species in the western interior seaway . this particular specimen of the fish is incomplete , the preserved section measures 152cm in length but it contains a nearly complete 66cm

stuck in the ribcage in the area of the shoulder of the fish . the

projects towards the mouth where it appears to be broken below the left gill cover . it seems likely that

ripping through the skin of the squid and causing interior gill damage or the size of the body of the squid forcing the gullet to remain open . this amazing specimen is currently held at the university

is composed to splay apart and cause some severe twisting to the structure . the punctures are widely spaced , the distance of 31cm between two of the punctures has been interpreted as an oblique angle of attack by the

and mantle to sink to the sea floor . this specimen was collected from the sharon springs member of the pierre shale , and it is thought that the predator was probably

potentially the largest fossil coleoid to be discovered to date was published in january 2006 by kazaushiga tanabe , yoshinori hikida and yasuhiro iba . it consisted of one half of an enormous set of jaws discovered in late cretaceous campanian ( 83 - 71 mya ) sediments at wakkaweenbetsu creek , nakagawa town , hokkaido , japan . the fossil was composed of a black phosphatic material and was contained inside a calcareous nodule . included with the specimen were numerous bivalves and specimens of the heteromorphic ammonite

. the fossil came from the upper yezo group of mudstones , ' yezo ' being an old name for hokkaido . the fossil is an upper jaw that measures 97mm in length and is 22 . 5mm wide at its maximum point . it has a very sharply pointed rostrum that is angled acutely , and both the inner and outer lamellae are present .

. as a result of this and from a physical comparison of the shape of the rostrum and wings , the authors determined that the specimen is closest to the sub - order oegopsina . the authors then attempted to estimate a total size for the animal , by examining the ratio of the maximum length of the upper jaw ( luj ) to total mantle length ( ml ) in eight extant coleoid species . applying these derived ratios to the fossil jaw and plotting it along with these other specimens , it was concluded that the mantle length was probably akin to

not only in overall size , but in shape , and structure . it differs in that the crest margin is more convex in shape and has more prominent growth lines on the inner lamella .

, that would have been present in late cretaceous northwest pacific along with many small ammonoid and nautiloid shelled cephalopods . the jaw is currently housed at the nakagawa museum of natural history .

was probably a major component of the ecosystem of the western interior seaway and a favoured prey item of assorted marine predators . it probably lived in shallow depths and would have been a fast moving muscular squid as demonstrated by its robust

, it would have thrived in a very different and extremely biologically active environment .

2 ) north dakota heritage centre at bismarck ( expected late 2004 ? ) .

3 ) natural history museum of los angeles county , california as part of the " savage ancient seas " exhibit .

fuchs , d . , keupp , h . , and engeser , t . , new records of soft parts of

kauffman , e . g . , cretaceous fish predation on a large squid .

tanabe , k . , hikida , y . , and iba , y . , two coleoid jaws from the upper cretaceous of hokkaido , japan . journal of paleontology 80 ( 1 ) 138 - 145 , 2006 .

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these values may differ with what you see in - game or written elsewhere . but that is what the dossier says .

this dossier section is intended to be an exact copy of what the survivor helena , the author of the dossiers has written . there may be some discrepancies between this text and the in - game creatures .

1 percentages are based on the value of the stat the moment the creature was tamed ( after taming effectiveness ) 2 the absolute base damage is shown here instead of the percentage . 3 wild creatures do not level up movement speed 4 torpidity increases every level on wild creatures , but can not be increased once they are tamed .

for a comparison of the stats of all creatures , see base creature statistics .

for an explanation of exactly how the levelup calculation works , see creature stats calculation .

type in values of a wild creature to see on which stats it ' s emphasized . green values on a high - level creature are very good for breeding . if you have already tamed your creature you can try to recover the breeding - stats with an external tool . [ 1 ]

note that after the creature is tamed it gets bonuses on some stats depending on the taming effectiveness . this makes it hard to retrieve the levels on a tamed creature , so this tool is only for wild ones , but gives a first impression , how well the stats are distributed .

it will eat up to 50 of an individual food item in a single consumption . taming effectiveness is lost per consumption not per item , and is at a reduced rate compared to other tames in any case .

it can eat at 90 % of its maximum food , regardless of how much food what it ' s being fed will restore ( factoring the above ) .

the taming affinity ( progress ) gained for food types other than black pearls is only 10 % of the value derived by other tames ( e . g . 15 from prime meat instead of 150 ) , and so at least 10 should be fed at a time to have a comparable taming time to other creatures . due to the exceptionally low affinity from individual items , they have been omitted from the table below , which consequently omits raw prime meat and raw prime fish meat entirely .

please ignore the feeding interval and taming time data ( below ) . due to being able to eat when at 90 % of its maximum food , the minimum feeding interval is 177 . 5 seconds [ 2 ] plus 14 seconds per food level . [ 3 ]

remember that a passive tame ' s first feeding interval is always slightly longer than this value .

this cannot be known until after taming , but adding 14 % of the creature ' s level would produce average results .

note that the values are for optimal cases , always bring extra supplies ! for a level - dependent count of resources needed , try an external taming calculator .

note that 50 black pearls will still restore up to 1500 food regardless of the creature ' s current food when fed , and so starve taming will actually take longer as the full 1500 food will need to deplete per required consumption ( compared to allowing 10 % to deplete each time ) .

dismount then approach the creature ' s beak with 50 black pearls within your last inventory slot . be aware of the weight of black pearls .

swim directly up and out of the deep - water zone . you are not able to re - mount while the squid has your creature held .

after taming , its diet remains the same ( black pearls , meat and fish ) .

a low - level tuso is no match for a mid - to - strong tamed plesio or mosa . a high level one will need a very strong mount with a good saddle or a group of powerful sea dinos to be defeated . remember that a ridden tame cannot retaliate when within tuso ' s tentacles . if you ' re going for a pack attack , let the squid grab the dino you ' re riding , as you will be able to watch out for the health and the torpor of your mount and you ' ll have one more source of damage . when it will spray the ink and try to run away get out of the ink cloud , wait for the blinding effect to end and then easily chase your prey .

another method to kill a tuso is luring it into underwater canyon and shoot it from above using crossbow , it will try to attack you but his large hitbox doesn ' t allow it to turn effectively and it will start to turn around randomly , unable to hit you .

ranged weapons can work if used while riding a high - level dino . due to the fast rising of tuso ' s health pool , it ' s advised to use this tactic only on low - level ones .

its high health , good dps , life - draining attacks and grab mechanics make the tuso a deadly enemy . living only in the deepest seas , other animals can join the fight and turn the battle into carnage . try to stay away from the bottom of the sea as the tuso may drop its prey under the ground , thus killing it .

the tuso is vulnerable to packs of dinos due to its aoe , that resembles a long cylinder . this means that it can ' t attack many enemies at once .

using , , , it is usable as an aquatic carrier ( like the megalosaurus and kapro ) for anything up to the size of a rex and mosa , use left click to munch the captured dino or player to death . it cannot grab birds . ( it can grab pelagornis , but it can ' t pull them under the water , not tested with other fliers . )

italics denote creatures that have not yet been released ! see also gallery of dino dossiers .

this page was last edited on 24 june 2018 , at 15 : 36 .

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make sure when encountering this creature , to make sure you ' re tribe member is japanese . he or she would gladly volunteer to be grabbed by the tentacles .

please tell me why it says non - violent . . . because when it grabs u and eats u alive it ' s not very non - violent . . .

they are easier to find while riding a raft , having a monkey on your shoulder , and having a beard . it is recommended to have a big raft that looks like a pirate ship . the ship must have cannons .

just tamed a 150 on an official server . building a trap high off the ocean floor works great just trap it and rotate out 150 tamed turtles hp pumped . took about 2 hours with pearls for the tame . took 50 pearls every 5 - 10 min . happy taming !

basilosaurus ( whale dino ) is immune to the squids grabs . its also immune to jellyfish stings . : )

ok so for those of you actually looking for tips . 1 : it can eat 50 at a time so take 50 with you each time . 2 : it hold mounts only for a little bit so if you can , just hop back on the turtle quickly and swim away till the next feeding 3 : once you tame it beware manta s and anglers as the tuso cannot hit them while they glitch into the head of the squid . it ' s not that hard if you prepare to lose everything and keep trying . it ' s worth it once you do but you will need escorts to help with mantis and anglers such as megaladons .

dododex is an ark taming calculator app for ark : survival evolved ( pc , xbox , ps4 ) . a project by dan leveille .

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giant squid found ! ( 50 - foot - long , washed - up on beach , punakaiki , new zealand , march 1st 2015 . )

squid ( teuthids ) : squid are soft bodied invertebrates ( cephalopods ) that probably occurred in great abundance in the warm oceans during the mesozoic . occasionally , the internal structure ( gladius or pen ) of the squid is preserved . the fossil remains of squid are characterized by long , straight fibers or strands that often appear to be iridescent . squid remains are sometimes mistaken for an unusual fish bone . click here for more information

williston ( 1897 , p . 242 ) was puzzled by fragments found occasionally in the chalk that were of a " glistening fibrous nature . " a specimen collected by h . t . martin ( below ) solved the mystery when it became apparent that the fragments represented a " large cuttlefish , apparently different from any described species . the specimen was about 6 inches wide and a foot long , and preserved a small " sepia bag " ( ink sac ) below it .

logan 1898 ( ku 4208 / 113463 ; plate cx , figure 2 ) . note that the species name was corrected for gender to

" from the hesperornis beds of the niobrara cretaceous on the smoky hill river by mr . martin . "

logan , w . n . 1898 . the invertebrates of the benton , niobrara and fort pierre groups . the university geological survey of kansas , part viii , 4 : 432 - 518 , pl . lxxxvi - cxx .

miller , h . w . , jr . 1968 . invertebrate fauna and environment of deposition of the niobrara ( cretaceous ) of kansas . fort hays studies , science series no . 8 , i - vi , 90 pp .

( fhsm ip - 710 ) in the exhibit at the sternberg museum of natural history . this specimen was collected by marion bonner in logan county . squid pens ( rachis ) are made up of chitin , not bone or cartilage . it is also considered to be the type specimen of

right : the gladius of the type specimen of " enchoteuthis melanae " ( fhsm ip - 13049 ) discovered by and named for melanie bonner . this specimen appears to preserve much of the original chitin .

squid pen collected by scott garrett from trego county in 2009 . note that the missing pieces looks suspiciously like the bite marks left by a small shark .

left : four views of a squid pen ( rachis ) that was bitten through by an unknown predator .

early in 2011 , i was contacted by trish weaver , the collections manager of the north carolina museum of natural sciences . she was doing research on fossil squid trying to determine what fossil squid pens were composed of ( chitin , chitinous or what ? ) and was looking for a sample to test . she also wanted to spend some time in the smoky hill chalk , so we made arrangements to spend a day in the chalk and search for a specimen that she could use in her research . neither of us really expected to find a specimen " on demand " but i thought there was a good chance of finding at least a fragment at the site where i had collected a specimen in may , 2011 ( above ) . with that realistic goal in mind , we drove out to the locality early in the morning on july 8 . the weather was actually unseasonably cool and cloudy for kansas in july . . . . a great day to be in the field .

our group included dan lawver , a montana state graduate student , who was also from north carolina . neither of them had ever worked in the smoky hill chalk , so i expected we would spend quite a lot of time just getting used to the chalk and all the inoceramid shell fragments at this locality . about half an hour into our search , dan called me over and said he had found something . as i got closer , he said it was probably a root , but i was still hopeful . as it turned out , he ' d nailed some squid remains almost as soon as he started looking . . .

left : this is the view from where i parked the van on the edge of the exposure . . . . we were in southeastern gove county , about a half mile south of the smoky hill river . the place where the squid remains were found is shown at the upper right of the photograph . the canyon is about half a mile wide at this point and is mostly between hattin ' s marker units 2 and 3 stratigraphically ( late coniacian in age ) .

right : here is what dan saw coming out of the side of a gully . . . not much to look at but definitely part of the rachis of a squid . i noted that it appeared to be expanded where it had been broken ( bitten ? ) off and assumed that the expanded portion ( gladius ) was already gone . i ' d soon find out otherwise .

left : i loaned dan my big estwing gp100 pick and let him take the matrix off the the fossil . the chalk was fractured and this part of the job didn ' t take long . . . .

right : once we had most of the overburden off , i got down for a closer look ( actually blowing chalk off the specimen in this photo ) . . . . then i got up on top the exposure and started removing the remaining layers of chalk over the fossil .

left : the first layer came off easily and cleanly . . . i was well off to the side when i started to remove the next layer . . . . and then " oops ! " . . . . a big chunk came off with parts of the specimen in it . . . that was when i realized that the fossil was sitting in fractured chalk on a layer of bentonite / volcanic ash . . . bad mistake , but on the good side , it revealed that the gladius was still there , apparently folded over in some way , and it showed us where to dig and not to dig . after kicking myself for a while , i went back to work . . . .

right : here ' s the chunk that came up . . . . the area inside the white oval shows where the remains broke off the main specimen . . . . clean breaks . . . no major damage . i applied some preservative to hold everything in place . . . the other material under the ruler is the pile of bentonite / volcanic ash that created the problem .

left : once we knew where the fossil was in the chalk , we began to cut the size of the block down to reduce the weight . that was when we noticed that the block was fractured and that the squid pen was supported by two different layers of chalk . . . both of which were loose .

right : we decided that the jacket would have to include both layers in order to keep from fracturing the rachis . . . in this photo the exposed portion of the specimen is under the pink cloth . . . note the shattered condition of the chalk at the top of the picture . the blocks holding the specimen were only slightly more solid .

left : once the block was cut down to a minimal size ( using a hand saw ) , it was necessary to clean everything up to prepare it for jacketing .

left : well , maybe one more picture to include dan , the proud discoverer of this specimen . . .

right : after packing the specimen with dampened paper towels for cushioning , trish and dan applied several layers of tin foil to help hold things together . . . .

left : then we proceeded to " get plastered " in the hot afternoon kansas sun . in this case , we used plaster bandages to build up the jacket around the specimen . once the plaster had dried , we slipped a piece of plywood under the jacket . i did not want to turn the jacket over in the field because the chalk around it was unpredictable and the squid pen was really fragile . . .

right : here dan ( right ) and i carry the jacket up the hill to the van .

the specimen will not be prepared for a while , but i will post new photos when they become available . i expect that this specimen would rate with some of the better specimens collected from the chalk in the last 120 years . . . there just aren ' t that many of them around .

right : not much to see while still contained in the matrix . . . just a bit of the gladius .

left : fortunately , we were able to park on the prairie just about the dig site . minimal distance to carry the block of chalk up the hill .

right : the chalk block containing the squid remains , just prior to removal . although we jacketed our specimen in 2011 , the chalk was solid around this one , and did not require the extra effort .

the project has proceeded to the point of submitting an abstract for the 2012 meeting of the geological society of america .

everhart , m . j . 2005 . oceans of kansas - a natural history of the western interior sea . indiana university press , 322 pp .

green , r . g . 1977 . niobrarateuthis walkeri , a new species of teuthid from the upper cretaceous niobrara formation of kansas . journal of paleontology 51 ( 5 ) : 992 - 995 .

hoganson , w . 2006 . dinosaurs , sharks , and woolly mammoths : glimpses of life in north dakota ' s prehistoric past . journal of the northern plains 73 ( 1 - 2 ) : 60 pp .

larson , n . l . 2010 . fossil coleoids from the late cretaceous ( campanian and maastrichtian ) of the western interior . ferrantia 59 : 78 - 113 .

miller , h . w . , jr . 1957 . niobrarateuthis bonneri , a new genus and species of squid from the niobrara formation of kansas . journal paleontology 31 ( 5 ) : 809 - 811 .

miller , h . w . , jr . 1968 . invertebrate fauna and environment of deposition of the niobrara ( cretaceous ) of kansas . fort hays studies , n . s . , science series no . 8 , i - vi , 90 pp .

stewart , j . d . 1976 . teuthids of the north american late cretaceous . kansas academy of science , transactions 79 ( 3 - 4 ) : 74 ( abstract ) .

williston , s . w . 1897 . niobrara cretaceous . the university geological survey of kansas 2 : 237 - 246 .

stewart , j . d . and carpenter , k . 1990 . examples of vertebrate predation on cephalopods in the late cretaceous of the western interior . pp . 203 - 208 in boucout , a . j . ( ed . ) , evolutionary paleobiology of behavior and coevolution . elsevier , new york .

williston , s . w . 1897 . the kansas niobrara cretaceous , the university geological survey of kansas , 2 : 237 - 246 .


the tritheledontidae or tritheledontids , also known as ictidosaurs , were small to medium-sized ( about 10 or 20 cm long ) cynodonts .

they were extremely mammal-like , highly specialized cynodonts , although they still retained a very few reptilian anatomical traits .

tritheledontids were mainly carnivorous or insectivorous , though some species may have developed omnivorous traits .

their skeletons show that they had a close relationship to mammals .

tritheledontids or their closest relatives may have given rise to primitive mammals .

the tritheledontids were one of the longest lived non-mammalian therapsid lineages , living from late triassic to the jurassic period .

tritheledontids became extinct in the jurassic period , possibly due to competition with prehistoric mammals such as the triconodonts .

they are known from finds in south america and south africa , indicating that they may have lived only on the supercontinent of gondwana .

the family tritheledontidae was named by south african paleontologist robert broom in 1912 .

the family is often misspelled " trithelodontidae " .

it is possible that tritheledontidae had vibrissae , according to the pbs documentary , your inner fish .

a common ancestor of all therian mammals did so .

it is possible that the development of the whisker sensory system played an important role in mammalian development , more generally .

tritheledontidae

tritheledontidae <EOT> the dentitions of the tritheledontidae ( therapsida : cynodontia ) . - pubmed - ncbi

zu den tritheledontidae , welche basal der chalimininae und pachygenelinae stehen . unter den vorher unbekannten merkmale von

gow , c . e . 1980 . the dentitions of the tritheledontidae ( therapsida : cynodontia ) .

links : tritheledont tooth ; jurassic cynodonts ; tritylodontidae and tritheledontidae , an internet directory ; universidad caece - cursos y seminarios .

( eucynodontia , tritheledontidae ) from the caturita formation , upper triassic of southern brazil : anatomical study and phylogenetic implications . in

links : parrs . htm ; tritheledont tooth ; jurassic cynodonts ; tritylodontidae and tritheledontidae , an internet directory ; universidad caece - cursos y seminarios .

links : lecture 12 - early jurassic ; therapsd . htm ; ciencia hoy 32 - artículo ; traces ; jawtransition ; jurassic cynodonts ; tritylodontidae and tritheledontidae , an internet directory . wikipedia

( cynodontia , tritheledontidae ) do triássico superior do rio grande do sul , brasil : análise osteológica e implicações filogenéticas . unpublished ph . d . thesis , universidade federal do rio grande do sul , 347 .

has alternatively been referred to dromatheriidae . another possibility is at least in part affinities with tritheledontidae . this is a matter which will require further finds and study . the south american critters were mousey or ratty - sized , whilst meurthodon was even smaller .

- like members of tritheledontidae , ( also known as trithelodontidae ) . these were small insectivores of up to 20cm in length , and their lifestyle was presumably extremely similar to that of the first mammals . this may well explain their disappearance . remains are known from the upper

. this is incorrect , as already demonstrated by members of tritheledontidae , ( those insectivores mentioned above ) . tritylodonts were their plant - eating counterparts . they were generally larger , ( up to about 50cm in length ) and survived for longer ; until at least the lower

although previously separated from other theriodonts as a distinct infraorder , the ictidosauria , study of the type and only specimen of the genus the trithelodon has determined its close affinities with the typical ictidosaurs pachygenelus and " diarthrognathus " . for this reason , hopson & kitching ( 1972 ) suggested using the family name tritheledontidae broom 1912 for all of the forms called " ictidosaurs " , and included all these groups under the cynodontia .

ictidosaurian genera are allocated to two families , tritheledontidae and therioherpetidae . this paper provides a diagnosis for ictidosauria . the previously named family brasilodontidae is shown to be a junior synonym of a family , therioherpetidae . it is concluded that ictidosauria originated from late permian procynosuchid non - mammalian cynodonts rather than from middle triassic probainognathid non - mammalian cynodonts . the structure of the skull and jaws of a derived traversodontid ischignathus sudamericanus from the early late triassic of argentina supports an earlier view that tritylodontids are more closely related to traversodontid than probainognathid non - mammalian cynodonts . tritylodontids should not be included in ictidosauria , nor should they considered to be a sister group to mammaliaforms .

three previously described monospecific genera of ictidosaurians ( tritheledontidae ) are recognized on the basis of their postcanine dentitions . the least specialized is pachygenelus monus , watson ( 1913 ) , the complete dentition of which is described for the first time : five specimens are described and referred to this species . the postcanine teeth of diarthrognathus broomi , crompton ( 1958 ) are described for the first time ; they are derivable from those of pachygenelus though considerably more specialized . tritheledon riconoi , broom ( 1912 ) , from which the family derives its name , consists of a single specimen containing upper postcanines only ; these are not closely comparable with the uppers of the other two genera but bear a strong resemblance to the lower postcanines of diarthrognathus . the family is closely implicated in the origin of mammals and the possibility of polyphyly in the origin of mammals is raised .

three previously described monospecific genera of ictidosaurians ( tritheledontidae ) are recognized on the basis of their postcanine dentitions . the least specialized is pachygenelus monus , watson ( 1913 ) , the complete dentition of which is described for the first time : five specimens are described and referred to this species . the postcanine teeth of diarthrognathus broomi , crompton ( 1958 ) are described for the first time ; they are derivable from those of pachygenelus though considerably more specialized . tritheledon riconoi , broom ( 1912 ) , from which the family derives its name , consists of a single specimen containing upper post - canines only ; these are not closely comparable with the uppers of the other two genera but bear a strong resemblance to the lower postcanines of diarthrognathus . the family is closely implicated in the origin of mammals and the possibility of polyphyly in the origin of mammals is raised .

in this contribution , new specimens of the tritheledontid eucynodont irajatherium hernandezi , from the late triassic ( caturrita formation ) of southern brazil , are analyzed . the new material provides significant information about incisor count , canine size and shape , basicranial morphology , and other previously unknown aspects of skull and dentition . a cladistic analysis with inclusion of the new data supports the assignment of irajatherium to tritheledontidae , basal to chalimininae and pachygenelinae . previously unknown characters of irajatherium revealed by the new material include : the presence of three lower incisors ; the first lower incisor is enlarged ; the presence of large upper and lower canines with deep paracanine fossa on the maxilla ; almost complete upper and lower postcanine tooth row with a pattern similar to that of other tritheledontids ( e . g . pachygenelus and chaliminia ) ; there is a conspicuous crest on the inner surface of the maxilla for the attachment of the inferred maxillary turbinates ; partially confluent jugular foramen and fenestra rotunda within the jugular fossa , separated by a finger - like projection of the posterolateral wall of the opisthotic ; and hypoglossal foramina located outside the jugular fossa . irajatherium is a key taxon for understanding the early evolution of ictidosaurs , a group of cynodonts closely related to mammaliaforms , during the cynodont–mammal transition from the late triassic to early jurassic .

have you ever wondered why our bodies look the way they do ? paleobiologist neil shubin sets out in this three - part series to find the answers in a surprising place : the ancient animal ancestors that shaped our anatomy .

in the first episode , " your inner fish , " he journeys back to a time , some 375 million years ago , when the first fish crawled up onto land . shubin ' s quest for the fossil record of this primeval predecessor takes viewers from highway cuts in rural pennsylvania to the remote arctic . after years of searching , he and his colleagues finally found a fossilized fish , known as tiktaalik , that had enough strength in its front fins to do pushups and heave itself out of the water . remarkably , we can trace the ancestry of our own hands and arms all the way back to these fins . viewers also meet the scientists who discovered the dna recipe for constructing the human hand — an essential set of instructions passed down from fish like tiktaalik and shared today with a surprising number of other animals , from chickens to chimpanzees . along the way , shubin makes it clear that we can also thank our fishy past for many of our body ' s quirks , such as hernias . we are , every one of us , just a jury - rigged fish .

in the second episode , " your inner reptile , " shubin exposes our reptilian roots . he searches for our ancient ancestors at fossil sites in the karoo desert of south africa and on the tidal flats of nova scotia . he also reveals modern - day links to the past through visits to a fertility clinic in chicago and a biology lab in london . along the way , he explains how major transitions in the history of life paved the way for our ancestors ' evolution into mammals . shubin identifies some amazing connections : the amniotic sac was an innovation to keep our reptile ancestors ' eggs from drying out ; our complex teeth can be traced to ferocious beasts that lived millions of years before dinosaurs ; and our hair is linked to the whiskers of reptile - like mammals that lived much of their lives in the dark . our reptilian ancestors — from fearsome predators to creatures as small as a paper clip — are responsible for more than a few features of modern humans .

in the final episode of the series , " your inner monkey , " shubin delves into our primate past . he travels from the badlands of ethiopia , where the famous hominid skeletons " lucy " and " ardi " were found , to a forest canopy in florida , home to modern primates . en route , he explains how many aspects of our form and function evolved . we learn that a genetic mutation in our primate ancestors conferred humans ' ability to see in color — but it was an advantage that led to a decline in our sense of smell . the shape of our hands came from tree - dwelling ancestors for whom long fingers made it easier to reach fruit at the tips of fine branches . shubin concludes by tracing the evolution of the human brain — from a tiny swelling on the nerve cord of a wormlike creature , to the three - part architecture of a shark ' s brain and the complex brain of primates . as shubin observes , " inside every organ , gene and cell in our body lie deep connections with the rest of life on our planet . "

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the trithelodontids , also and better known ( especuially in earlier literature ) as the ictidosaurs , were tiny latest triassic and early jurassic cynodonts that neatly bridge the gap between advanced theriodonts and the primitive mammals .

although previously separated from other theriodonts as a distinct infraorder , the ictidosauria , study of the type and only specimen of the genus the trithelodon has determined its close affinities with the typical ictidosaurs pachygenelus and " diarthrognathus " . for this reason , hopson and kitching suggested using the family name trithelodontidae broom 1912 for all of the forms called " ictidosaurs " , and included all these groups under the cynodontia .

the trithelodonts ( ictidosaurs ) are thus very advanced , probably insectivorous , cynodonts of small size in which some incisors and in some species the upper and probably postcanines have a transversely - oriented cutting edge , in others the uppers have an oblique and the lowers a longitudinal cutting edge . these are features connected , as in the tritylodonts , with the more efficient chewing of food . as in the chiniquodontidae the secondary palate is long ( so the animal could eat and breathe at the same time , a mammalian feature ) and the postorbital bar ( the bar of bone behind the eyes ) is absent , another feature found also in tritylodonts and primitive mammals .

but what makes these animals unique is the new mammalian joint between the squamosal and dentary had come into functional being . thus , the ictidosaur pachygenelius ( formerly known as diarthrognathus ) possesses both the reptilian quadrate - articular jaw joint and a newly developed mammalian squamosal - dentary jaw joint . because of this simpson ( 1959 ) suggested that it might better be classified as a mammal , but hopson and crompton retain it in the therapsida . although certain primitive features in the skull suggest a derivation from scaloposaurid bauriamorphs , indicating the posisbility that the mammalian condition may have evolved twoice ( once from advanced therocephalians via the ictidosaurs and once from cyndonts via tritylodonts ) but both the structure of the dentary and the braincase structure have independently confirm a cynodont ancestry , and the polyphyly of mammals is no longer considered a valid hypothesis .

pachygenelius stands truly at the dividing line between reptile and mammal in so far as this important diagnostic feature of jaw articulation is concerned . this is the only reason why the ictidosaurs are classified as reptiles rather than mammals . in the mammals , the quadrate and articular bones have migrated from the articular region of the jaw to the middle ear where they have been transformed into two of the bones concerned with the transmission of vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear . because , in the ictidosaurs , the tta formation of the quadrate and articular bones had not taken place , these animals can be placed arbitrarily within the reptiles .

horizon : upper triassic ? , lower jurassic : stormberg series ( red beds and cave sandstone ) of south africa and lesotho ; los colorados formation of argentina . age : rhaetian / hettangian to sinemurian / early pliensbachian distribution : probably had a worldwide ( pangea ) distribution ecological community : anchisaur - plateosaur empire ecological niche / guild : small terrestrial insectivore modern equivalents : shrew , insectvore generally preferred food : mostly invertebrates , very small vertebrates length : about 10 or 20 cm long metabolism : endothermic potential predators : small theropod dinosaurs ( mostly coelophysidae ) , large sphenosuchid " lizards " , and protosuchid crodylomorphs ancestor : chiniquodontidae replaced : small chiniquodontidae replaced by : small mesozoic mammals descendents : class mammalia ( ancestral forms : sinoconodontidae , morganucodontidae , megazostrodontidae ) taxonomic status - valid family

red beds and cave sandstone ( middle and upper elliot formation ) , orange free state , south africa and lesotho .

from the early jurassic of nova scotia . but while it is not unlikely that this jaw might belong to

or a distinct but closely related species , probably a descendent . although a specific distinction may prove to be valid , it is doubtful that generic differences exist .

comments : the only known triassic trithelodont , and part of a highly endemic fauna , which makes it difficult to correlate . however although the los colorados formation is usually considered latest triassic ( late norian / rhaetian ) , jose bonparte says somewhere ( i can ' t find the exact passage . . . ) that the fauna may not be isochronous . so it is possible that the upper part of the los colorados may be hettangian ( earliest jurassic ) . that would fit in chaliminia with the other trithelodonts .

carroll , r . l . vertebrate paleontology and evolution . - w . h . freeman and company , new york , 1988

james a . hopson and herbert r . barghusen , " an analysis of therapsid relationships " , in the ecology and biology of mammal - like reptiles ed . by nocholas hotton iii , paul d . maclean , jan j . roth and e . carol roth , smithsonian institute press , washington and london , 1986 , pp . 83 - 106

james a . hopson and james w . kitching , 1972 , " a revised classification of the cynodonts ( reptilia ; therapsida ) , paleontologica africa , 14 . 17 - 85

trithelodont jaw - a fine photo of a partial jaw ( nova scotia museum ) . earliest jurassic ( early hettangian ) age .

' la importancia turistica de ischigualasto ' , preparado por dr william sill . a fossil inventory in spanish - at the bottom it lists chaliminia musteloides ( under " cynodont "

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page by m . alan kazlev i am indebted to trevor dykes for helpful corrections and references . page uploaded 8 october 1999 . reposted and last modified 1 september 2005

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full reference : r . broom . 1912 . on a new type of cynodont from the stormberg . annals of the south african museum 7 : 334 - 336

see also carroll 1988 , kemp 1982 , martinelli and rougier 2007 and martinez et al . 1996

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the tritheledontids , also and better known ( especuially in earlier literature ) as the ictidosaurs , were tiny latest triassic to early jurassic cynodonts that neatly bridge the gap between advanced theriodonts and the primitive mammaliforms .

the tritheledonts ( ictidosaurs ) are thus very advanced , probably insectivorous , cynodonts of small size in which some incisors and in some species the upper and probably postcanines have a transversely - oriented cutting edge , in others the uppers have an oblique and the lowers a longitudinal cutting edge . these are features connected , as in the tritylodonts , with the more efficient chewing of food . as in the chiniquodontidae the secondary palate is long ( so the animal could eat and breathe at the same time , a mammalian feature ) and the postorbital bar ( the bar of bone behind the eyes ) is absent , another feature found also in tritylodonts and primitive mammals .

but what makes these animals unique is the new mammalian joint between the squamosal and dentary had come into functional being . thus , the ictidosaur pachygenelius formerly known as diarthrognathus ) possesses both the reptilian quadrate - articular jaw joint and a newly developed mammalian squamosal - dentary jaw joint . because of this simpson ( 1959 ) suggested that it might better be classified as a mammal , but hopson and crompton retain it in the therapsida . although certain primitive features in the skull suggest a derivation from scaloposaurid bauriamorphs , indicating the posisbility that the mammalian condition may have evolved twoice ( once from advanced therocephalians via the ictidosaurs and once from cyndonts via tritylodonts ) but both the structure of the dentary and the braincase structure have independently confirm a cynodont ancestry , and the polyphyly of mammals is no longer considered a valid hypothesis .

pachygenelius stands truly at the dividing line between cynodont and mammaliform in so far as this important diagnostic feature of jaw articulation is concerned . this is the only reason why the ictidosaurs are classified outside the mammaliformes . in the mammaliforms , the quadrate and articular bones have migrated from the articular region of the jaw to the middle ear where they have been transformed into two of the bones concerned with the transmission of vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear . because , in the ictidosaurs , this transformation of the quadrate and articular bones had not taken place , these animals are placed outside the mammaliformes . mak010421 .

characters : $ lack of pineal foramen [ rs01 ] ; $ posteriorly elongated secondary palate [ rs01 ] ; $ ribs ( laterally ? ) expanded [ rs01 ] .

links : eucynodontia ; synapsida - - the dinosauricon ; therapsida all treating probainognathia as a more inclusive clade ) .

small ( 3 - 6cm skulls ) carnivorous proto - mammals . cheek teeth broad , with prismatic enamel as in mammals ; teeth may have been double - rooted ; some teeth have transverse cutting edge , others the uppers have an oblique and the lowers a longitudinal cutting edge ; probably squamosal - dentary jaw joint and quadrate - articular joint both functional , with masseter and opposing muscles holding jaw in " sling " ; postorbital and prefrontal absent ; frontal & palatine in contact ; temporal opening confluent with orbit ; postcranial skeleton said to be fully mammalian .

notes : [ 1 ] according to [ l + 02 ] the characters that support tritylodonts as the sister of mammaliforms are strongly localized to the orbital wall and sphenoid region . characters of the jaw joint , mandible and palate point to tritheledonts . atw020223 .

range : early jurassic of south africa , possibly north america . p . monus : red beds and cave sandstone ( middle and upper elliot formation ) , orange free state , red beds and cave sandstone ( middle and upper elliot formation ) , orange free state and lesotho , south africa , of hettangian to sinemurian age . p . broomi : clarens formation , orange free state , south africa , of sinemurian / early pliensbachian age .

image : pachygenelius jaw ( ~ 2 cm ) , parrsboro , nova scotia . from the nova scotia museum fossils of nova scotia website . © 1998 nova scotia museum and used by permission .

notes : [ 1 ] pachygenelius ? monus has also been reported from the early jurassic of nova scotia . but while it is not unlikely that this jaw might belong to pachygenelius ( or a similiar form ) , a species attribution , or even an unambigious genus attribution , is very unlikely . [ 2 ] diarthrognathus broomi is based on two juvenile specimens which are possibly , though not certainly , referable to p . monus . this then is either a synonym of the earlier p . monus or a distinct but closely related species , probably a descendent . although a specific distinction may prove to be valid , it is doubtful that generic differences exist . mak010421 . atw020601 .

range : late triassic to early jurassic of south america , los colorados formation , argentina , of late norian to hettangian age .

notes : the only known triassic tritheledont , and part of a highly endemic fauna , which makes it difficult to correlate . however although the los colorados formation is usually considered latest triassic ( late norian / rhaetian ) , jose bonparte says somewhere ( i can ' t find the exact passage . . . ) that the fauna may not be isochronous . so it is possible that the upper part of the los colorados may be hettangian ( earliest jurassic ) . that would fit in chaliminia with the other tritheledonts . mak010421 . atw020601 .

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universidade federal do rio grande do sul , porto alegre , brazil , paleovertebrate collection .

aus der späten trias ( caturrita formation ) vorgestellt . das neue material enthüllt wichtige informationen zur anzahl der incisiven , der grösse und form der canini , der morphologie des basicraniums und anderen aspekte von schädel und bezahnung . eine cladistische analyse mit berücksichtigung der neuen daten bestätigt die zuordnung von

sind drei untere incisiven mit einem vergrößerten ersten incisivus , untere und obere canini mit einer tiefen paracaninus - fossa am maxillare ; eine fast komplette obere und untere postcanine zahnreihe mit einem bezahnungsmuster vergleichbar mit dem anderer tritheledontiden ( z . b .

in der jugular - fossa , welche durch einen fingerartigen vorsprung der posterolateralen wandung des opistothicums voneinander getrennt werden ; sowie außerhalb der jugular - fossa liegene hypoglossale foramina .

ist ein schlüsseltaxon zum verständnis der frühen evolution der ictidosauriden , eine mit den mammaliformen nahe verwandte cynodontier - gruppe aus der oberen trias und dem unteren jura .

we thank luiz flávio lopes for the photographs of several specimens and cnpq for financial support ( tvo ) . the suggestions of the reviewers fernando abdala and zhe - xi luo and the editor oliver rauhut improved the quality of this paper .

character 2 . lower incisor number : from ? to 1 ( three incisors ) .

character 3 . some incisor enlarged : from ? to 1 ( present ) .

character 24 . sectorial postcanines with the major axis anteromedial - posterolaterally oriented , passing the distal portion of an anterior tooth medial to the mesial portion of the next tooth : from 0 to 1 ( present ) .

character 36 . postdentary bones : from ? to 1 ( reduced to narrow rod lying in postdentary trough ) .

character 68 . trigeminal nerve ( v 2 and v 3 ) exit : from ? to 1 ( foramen located entirely on the prootic , or on the anterior lamina of the petrosal ) .

character 69 . prootic and ophistotic : from ? to 0 ( unfused ) .

character 71 . fenestra ovalis : from ? to 0 ( with thickened ring ) .

character 74 . perilymphatic foramen separation from jugular foramen : from ? to 1 ( partially separated by finger - like projection from postero - lateral wall of jugular foramen ) .

character 76 . hypoglossal foramen : from ? to 1 ( separated from the jugular fossa ) .

; some clades are not diagnosed here ) . an asterisk ( * ) indicates ambiguous character - states

) : presence of some enlarged incisors ( ch . 3 ) , upper incisor 2 large and the others small ( ch . 4 ) , lower incisor 1 large and the other small ( ch . 5 ) , premaxilla forming the posterior border of incisive foramen ( ch . 39 ) * , length of palatine longer relative to maxilla in secondary palate ( ch . 47 ) .

) : dominant central bulbous main cusp on upper postcanines ( ch . 11 ) , upper posterior postcanines with cusp b and c buccally displaced and bulbous , prominent cusp a ( ch . 12 ) , lower middle and posterior postcanines with four cusps aligned decreasing in size posteriorly ( ch . 19 ) , posterior portion of secondary palate almost at the level of the tip of upper postcanine teeth , forming a deep groove between hard palate and tooth row ( ch . 48 ) .

unnamed clade . pachygenelinae ( clade 6 ) plus chalimininae ( clade 7 ) : single roots of postcanines ( ch . 25 ) , tooth row parallel to sub - parallel from the axial plane of the cranium ( ch . 30 ) , maxillary buccal shelf overhanging tooth row ( ch . 43 ) .

) : upper postcanines with buccal cingulum ( ch . 9 ) * , narrow upper postcanines with lingual cingulum ( ch . 10 ) * .

) : more than 11 upper postcanine teeth in adult ( ch . 8 ) * , absence of imbrincated sectorial postcanines ( ch . 24 ) * .

tritheledon plus diarthrognathus : absence of upper posterior postcanines with cusp b and c buccally displaced and bulbous , prominent cusp a ( ch . 12 ) * .

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, ed . n . hotton iii , p . d . maclean , j . j . roth , and e . c . roth , 83–106 . washington dc : smithsonian institution press .

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kischlat , e . - e . , and s . g . lucas . 2003 . a phytosaur from the upper triassic of brazil .

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, ed . n . c . fraser , and h . - d . sues , 98–128 . cambridge : cambridge university press .

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luo , z . - x . , a . w . crompton , and s . g . lucas . 1995 . evolutionary origins of the mammalian promontorium and cochlea .

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non - mammalian cynodonts . the structure of the skull and jaws of a derived traversodon

should not be included in ictidosauria , nor should they considered to be a sister group to mammaliaforms .

specimen pvl2564 in right lateral and palatine skull views , and a medial view of the left lower jaw .

) . length of skull : 60cm . the signiﬁcant features of this specimen include

also extended to c . schultz and m . bento soares ( ufrgs ) for

cynodontia ) . proc r soc lond b biol sci . 208 : 461–481 .

stratigraphic and paleontological data . j south am earth sci . 55 : 123–132 .

it deals with the description of new probainognathian cynodonts , closely related to mammals , discovered in candelária and faxinal do soturno , rio grande do sul , brazil .

two new cynodonts ( therapsida ) from the middle - early late triassic of brazil and comments on south a . . .

we describe two new cynodonts from the early late triassic of southern brazil . one taxon , bonacynodon schultzi gen . et sp . nov . , comes from the lower carnian dinodontosaurus az , being correlated with the faunal association at the upper half of the lower member of the chañares formation ( ischigualasto - villa unión basin , argentina ) . phylogenetically , bonacynodon is a closer relative to . . . [ show full abstract ]

in this paper , the hypothesis of miniaturisation to explain the origin of mammals ( rowe 1993 , mammals phylogeny : mesozoic differentiation , multituberculates , monotremes , early therians , and marsupials . new york : springer - verlag , p . 129–145 ) is discussed , based on three lines of evidence resulting from new discoveries of eucynodonts in the late triassic of southern brazil ( bonaparte et al . . . . [ show full abstract ]

the genera of the brasilodontidae , protheriodon , brasilodon , brasilitherium , minicynodon and the indian panchetocynodon , are briefly summarised and the more significant evolutionary information from them is discussed . brasilodon and brasilitherium are possibly related to the origin of kuehneotheridae and morganucodontidae , respectively . a systematic rearrangement is proposed for the . . . [ show full abstract ]

a new cynodont from the santa maria formation , south brazil , improves late triassic probainognathian . . .

the fossil record of non - mammaliaform probainognathian cynodonts is outstanding in the late triassic rocks of brazil and argentina . approximately 15 genera are known , providing unique insights in the study of the major skeletal transformations prior to the mammalian condition . globally , the diversity of probainognathians is possibly under - represented , as the discovery of small - to . . . [ show full abstract ]

the discovery of a new upper triassic mammal ( erythrotherium parringtoni , gen . et sp . n . ) from the upper red beds of the stormborg series in basutoland is reported . the remains consist of an apparently complete , but crushed skull . no posteranial remains were found in association with the skull . a preliminary description of the internal view of the lower jaw and the outer view of one upper . . . [ show full abstract ]

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a relative of cynognathus , massetognathus was a plant - eating cynodont belonging to the traversodontid family . this cynodont lived in what is now south america , in brazil ( paleorrota ) and argentina ( los chañares formation ) during the middle triassic period ( 220 million years ago ) .

was about 50 centimetres ( 1 . 6 ft ) long . it had cheek teeth specially adapted to chewing on vegetation . it still had the distinctive long snout of its

instead they were flat - topped and were covered with a number of low ridges , which made them good for grinding any stems , roots and other plant materials .

palmer , d . , ed ( 1999 ) . the marshall illustrated encyclopedia of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals . london : marshall editions . p . 193 . isbn 1 - 84028 - 152 - 9 .

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. its membership was and is made up of both meat - eaters and plant - eaters . the chronological range extends from at least the lower

until the present day . this overview is concentrated on the proto - mammals , which are known from the lower triassic until the lower

. this was a wolf - sized predator , which had pretty much a worldwide distribution . about 90 % of its lower jaw was accounted for by a single , tooth - bearing bone called the

were differentiated , which enabled them to perform several functions ; tearing and chewing . a

tears at its prey , but it can’t chew . it’s an effective hunter , but a wasteful and messy eater . the ear of

by a joint called the articular - quadrate . the significance of these features and what happened next , is illustrated in a bit more detail below , ( see below : transitional fossils ) .

is the only known representative of a family called cynognathidae . however , various further derived relatives are also known .

further non - mammalian eucynodonts are known , though the structure followed here is probably in need of review . the main lineage of meat - eaters is the superfamily of chiniquodontoidea . i have this divided into two families , a further pair of possible families and some odd bits and pieces .

of south america . some more enigmatic material , ( mainly teeth ) , has been recovered from mid – upper triassic european strata . a middle triassic genus from africa ,

, has also been referred to this family , though this is seen as questionable by others . they ranged in size from tiny

dromatheriidae is a possible family based mainly on teeny teeth from the upper triassic of europe and north america , ( and perhaps india ) . although remains are sparse , these fossils are very mammal - like . a hypothesized ancestor of mammals could convincingly have been equipped with choppers like this , and some of this material may or may not represent our ancestors . it would require better

to test the validity of that possibility . it could be an informal grade rather than a natural

) . the status of this family has been differently interpreted by various researchers .

traditionally , the herbivoreous counterparts of the chiniquodontoids were grouped together under the term gomphodonts , ( ‘peg teeth’ ) . their chronological range extended from the lower

, and remains have been found on every continent in the world , with the exception of australasia . they’re also referred to as tritylodontoidea . it’s very likely that this arrangement is more a matter of convenience than systematics . however , as it is a convenient structure , let ' s take follow it .

the most basal representatives are found within a family called diademodontidae . most fossils come from the lower triassic of south africa . other reports stem from asia and perhaps antarctica .

somewhat more derived are the trirachodontids of africa , asia , russia and possibly north america . some were contemporaries of the diademodontids and the lineage seems to have survived until the middle triassic .

lived communally in warrens . this is known from several fossilized burrows preserved in south africa , along with their inhabitants .

the most diverse of the triassic gomphodonts are the members of traversodontidae . this family emerged during the lower triassic and continued until the end of that age . the original representatives were small , though later types reached lengths of 50cm or so . the most recent known remains come from near the end of the european

. these are teeth from shrew - sized animals . fossils have been found in all continents , ( excepting for australasia and antarctica ) , though the best remains are from the lower upper triassic strata of argentina and brazil , which seems to have been the heyday of the traversodonts .

possibly descended from the traversodonts is a family known as tritylodontidae . it’s fairly often assumed that non - mammalian

. where preserved , the anatomy suggests burrowing animals , and suitably sized fossilized burrows have been found at one location in colorado , along with tracks and anatomical remains . a post - cretaceous representative has some limited support , (

) , but this is more generally seen as some kind of mammal or other . tritylodonts were mammal - like in the extreme , and were usually classed as such until the 1920s . however , their anatomy maintained significant ‘reptilian’ features , especially in the

, when this family had a more or less worldwide distribution . ( one genus ,

, has been found in europe , china and north america . fragmentary tritylodont remains have also been recovered from antarctica . ) the most recent undisputed material comes from siberia and japan . the demise of the tritylodonts may be connected with the rise of

. there are a few genera dealt with here as mammals , which should possibly or probably be labelled as non - mammals . this is certainly the case for

. its dental replacement and growth habits weren’t mammalian . it probably also applies for

rock , ( carnian ) . it could also be the case for the members of haramiyida . however , other than for one exception , haramiyids are presently known only from tiny teeth . until more substantial remains turn up , the affinities of haramiyids is a matter beyond resolution .

and , when equipped with gnashers , have only one kind of tooth . however , as with

) ; the jaw joint is the articular - quadrate , ( it’s at least overwhelmingly dominant amongst the basal representatives ) .

became progressively more mammal - like , and the anatomical distinctions between the more derived forms and the earliest mammals , are best described as matters of degree .

grew in complexity and efficiency . the mammalian jaw - cranium joint ( dentary - squamosal ) grew up alongside of , and eventually , ( in

still worked with only one small bone , other important structural changes were underway ; eg . the cochlear canal appeared ( eg .

( this information has been derived from [ 1 ] mesozoic eucynodonts ; an internet directory . as that ' s my webpage , there are no issues of copyright . trevor dykes )

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