Moschops

Moschops is an extinct genus of large, herbivorous therapsids from the Middle Permian of what is now South Africa. Its skull had a thickened roof, and its short, robust limbs supported a heavy body.

Therapsid: A major group of synapsids that includes mammals and their extinct relatives. Moschops belongs to this group of mammal-line synapsids.
Pachyostosis: The abnormal thickening and increased density of bone, often affecting the skeleton as a whole or particular regions. The thickened skull roof of Moschops is a conspicuous example of cranial bone thickening.
Robert Broom: A Scottish-born South African paleontologist known for research on fossil mammals and early human relatives. Broom named Moschops in 1911 from fossils found in South Africa.
Moschops capensis: A species of Moschops named from Middle Permian fossils discovered in South Africa. It is the type species that anchors the genus name.
Dinocephalia: An extinct group of large therapsids, many with unusually thickened skull bones. Moschops is classified among these Middle Permian therapsids.
Skull: The bony or cartilaginous structure that protects the brain and supports the jaws and sensory organs. Its short, deep skull had an exceptionally thick roof.
Karoo Supergroup: A thick sequence of sedimentary rocks in southern Africa recording much of the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic. The genus is known from Permian rocks of the Karoo region.
Moschops koupensis: A species historically assigned to Moschops from Permian deposits in South Africa. Its assignment illustrates the changing boundaries of the genus.
Tapinocephalidae: A family of large herbivorous dinocephalians known from Permian deposits in southern Africa and Russia. Moschops is commonly placed within this family.
Postcranial skeleton: The parts of a vertebrate skeleton other than the skull. Its robust limbs and heavy trunk are known from postcranial remains.

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GorgonopsRelated: It represents one kind of substantial prey living alongside South African predators.