Therapsids

Therapsids Temporal range: Early Permian–Holocene 275–0 Ma (Range includes mammals) PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Mounted skeleton of Inostrancevia alexandri, a gorgonopsian therapsid
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sphenacodontoidea
Order:	Therapsida Broom, 1905
Clades
† Biarmosuchia Eutherapsida † Dinocephalia † Anteosauria † Tapinocephalia Neotherapsida † Anomodontia † Dromasauria † Dicynodontia Theriodontia Cynodontia Mammalia † Gorgonopsia † Therocephalia

Therapsida is a group of synapsids that includes mammals and their ancestors. Many of the traits today seen as unique to mammals had their origin within early therapsids, including having their four limbs extend vertically beneath the body, as opposed to the sprawling posture of other reptiles. The earliest fossil attributed to Therapsida is Tetraceratops insignis from the Lower Permian.

Therapsids evolved from pelycosaurs (specifically sphenacodonts) 275 million years ago. They replaced the pelycosaurs as the dominant large land animals in the Middle Permian and were replaced, in turn, by the archosauromorphs in the Triassic, although one group of therapsids, the kannemeyeriiforms, remained diverse in the Late Triassic.

The therapsids included the cynodonts, the group that gave rise to mammals in the Late Triassic around 225 million years ago. Of the non-mammalian therapsids, only cynodonts and dicynodonts survived the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event. The last of the non-mammalian therapsids, the tritylodontid cynodonts, became extinct in the Early Cretaceous, approximately 100 million years ago.

Compared to their pelycosaurian ancestors, early therapsids had very similar skulls but very different post-cranial morphology.

Therapsid legs were positioned more vertically beneath their bodies than were the sprawling legs of reptiles and pelycosaurs. Also compared to these groups, the feet were more symmetrical, with the first and last toes short and the middle toes long, an indication that the foot's axis was placed parallel to that of the animal, not sprawling out sideways. This orientation would have given a more mammal-like gait than the lizard-like gait of the pelycosaurs.

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