Therapsida

Therapsida is a major group of eupelycosaurian synapsids. It includes mammals, as well as their ancestors and close relatives. Many defining traits of modern mammals had their origins within early therapsids. Changes in skeletal structure brought their limbs underneath their body mass which resulted in a more "standing" quadrupedal posture, as opposed to the lower sprawling posture of many reptiles and amphibians. Therapsid teeth began to differentiate into canines, incisors, and molars. Their necks also gained more flexibility allowing therapsids greater range of motion in moving their heads.

Therapsida

Radim Holiš Fæ Ghedoghedo Ghedo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
therapsidPBDB
Sits inside
SynapsidaPBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB, for Osteichthyes
Environment
terrestrialPBDB, for Amniota

Time the record covers

At least 259 million years on record.

The record covers at least 259.857 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 264.28 Mya to 0 Mya.

Permian — about 1 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Triassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 1 of 12000 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 4 of 12000 occurrencesLate TriassicEarly Jurassic — about 2 of 12000 occurrencesEarly JurassicMiddle Jurassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 31 of 12000 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 1294 of 12000 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 4116 of 12000 occurrencesEocene — about 5978 of 12000 occurrencesOligocene — about 37 of 12000 occurrencesMiocene — about 342 of 12000 occurrencesPliocene — about 81 of 12000 occurrencesPleistocene — about 97 of 12000 occurrences270–261 Mya — about 0.8 occurrences261–252 Mya — about 0.2 occurrences243–234 Mya — about 1 occurrence234–225 Mya — about 0.7 occurrences225–216 Mya — about 2 occurrences216–207 Mya — about 2 occurrences207–198 Mya — about 2 occurrences198–189 Mya — about 0.6 occurrences126–117 Mya — about 8 occurrences117–108 Mya — about 17 occurrences108–99 Mya — about 37 occurrences99–90 Mya — about 114 occurrences90–81 Mya — about 143 occurrences81–72 Mya — about 294 occurrences72–63 Mya — about 1721 occurrences63–54 Mya — about 5432 occurrences54–45 Mya — about 3601 occurrences45–36 Mya — about 29 occurrences36–27 Mya — about 48 occurrences27–18 Mya — about 28 occurrences18–9.0 Mya — about 214 occurrences9.0–0 Mya — about 305 occurrences259.857 Mya11.7 ka270 Mya0 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Therapsida on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 169 formations

Willwood — 44.78°N, 108.97°WWillwood — 44.30°N, 109.00°WWillwood — 44.82°N, 109.05°WWillwood — 43.95°N, 107.57°WWillwood — 44.50°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 44.00°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 108.54°WWillwood — 44.60°N, 108.32°WWillwood — 44.64°N, 108.43°WWillwood — 44.53°N, 108.39°WWillwood — 44.53°N, 108.32°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 109.93°WWillwood — 44.59°N, 108.86°WWillwood — 44.49°N, 108.54°WWillwood — 44.42°N, 108.69°WWillwood — 44.38°N, 108.80°WWillwood — 44.44°N, 108.63°WWillwood — 44.49°N, 108.81°WWillwood — 44.50°N, 108.67°WWillwood — 44.56°N, 108.70°WWillwood — 44.59°N, 108.62°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 108.76°WFort Union — 47.60°N, 107.00°WFort Union — 47.10°N, 104.80°WFort Union — 47.80°N, 106.10°WFort Union — 43.85°N, 108.35°WFort Union — 43.70°N, 108.70°WFort Union — 44.30°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 46.05°N, 104.48°WFort Union — 45.80°N, 104.40°WFort Union — 41.70°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 41.30°N, 107.74°WFort Union — 44.50°N, 108.00°WFort Union — 45.80°N, 109.80°WFort Union — 46.70°N, 101.80°WFort Union — 48.50°N, 101.90°WFort Union — 46.90°N, 101.50°WFort Union — 46.59°N, 101.74°WFort Union — 46.90°N, 103.90°WFort Union — 45.80°N, 110.50°WFort Union — 44.72°N, 108.38°WFort Union — 44.68°N, 108.32°WFort Union — 45.20°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 44.89°N, 108.93°WFort Union — 43.20°N, 107.10°WFort Union — 45.10°N, 106.90°WFort Union — 45.40°N, 105.60°WFort Union — 43.45°N, 109.16°WFort Union — 41.92°N, 108.56°WFort Union — 44.72°N, 108.62°WFort Union — 43.20°N, 108.20°WWasatch — 41.80°N, 110.70°WWasatch — 41.27°N, 110.33°WWasatch — 43.25°N, 110.42°WWasatch — 42.70°N, 110.10°WWasatch — 40.60°N, 108.10°WWasatch — 41.70°N, 109.00°WWasatch — 41.80°N, 107.00°WWasatch — 41.20°N, 110.50°WWasatch — 43.20°N, 108.20°WWasatch — 40.00°N, 107.90°WWasatch — 42.07°N, 109.10°WDeBeque — 40.00°N, 107.90°WDeBeque — 39.20°N, 108.20°WDeBeque — 39.27°N, 108.18°WDeBeque — 39.70°N, 107.60°WDeBeque — 38.70°N, 107.60°WWind River — 43.20°N, 107.10°WWind River — 44.00°N, 106.60°WWind River — 43.20°N, 108.20°WWind River — 41.60°N, 105.80°WWind River — 41.80°N, 107.00°WHell Creek — 47.63°N, 106.20°WHell Creek — 47.55°N, 107.12°WHell Creek — 47.62°N, 107.32°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 107.00°WHell Creek — 47.80°N, 106.10°WHell Creek — 47.65°N, 106.65°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.98°WHell Creek — 46.30°N, 104.50°WHell Creek — 47.57°N, 107.10°WHell Creek — 45.50°N, 103.10°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.40°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 106.38°WHell Creek — 47.58°N, 106.30°WHell Creek — 47.55°N, 107.25°WHell Creek — 47.87°N, 106.18°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 107.18°WHell Creek — 47.53°N, 106.92°WHell Creek — 47.65°N, 106.20°WHell Creek — 47.07°N, 106.92°WHell Creek — 47.10°N, 104.80°WHell Creek — 47.70°N, 106.55°WHell Creek — 47.73°N, 106.50°WHell Creek — 45.40°N, 105.60°WHell Creek — 46.10°N, 103.30°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 107.23°WHell Creek — 47.68°N, 106.43°WHell Creek — 46.90°N, 101.50°WHell Creek — 47.80°N, 106.21°WNacimiento — 36.30°N, 108.20°WNacimiento — 36.31°N, 108.00°WNacimiento — 35.70°N, 107.00°WNacimiento — 36.57°N, 107.97°WNacimiento — 36.18°N, 107.58°WNacimiento — 36.27°N, 107.76°WBridger — 42.70°N, 110.10°WBridger — 41.20°N, 110.50°WBridger — 41.50°N, 110.60°WBridger — 41.70°N, 109.00°WPaskapoo — 51.00°N, 114.10°WPaskapoo — 51.90°N, 113.30°WPaskapoo — 53.23°N, 114.70°WPaskapoo — 52.40°N, 113.80°WPaskapoo — 52.30°N, 113.80°WPaskapoo — 52.20°N, 113.70°WPaskapoo — 51.10°N, 114.50°WPaskapoo — 51.18°N, 114.43°WPaskapoo — 52.60°N, 114.10°WPaskapoo — 52.00°N, 114.30°WPaskapoo — 52.20°N, 113.60°WPaskapoo — 51.50°N, 112.30°WPaskapoo — 52.40°N, 116.10°WPaskapoo — 54.80°N, 115.46°WPaskapoo — 54.80°N, 115.80°WPaskapoo — 51.20°N, 112.50°WLance — 43.18°N, 104.53°WLance — 43.00°N, 104.50°WLance — 43.10°N, 104.60°WLance — 41.57°N, 108.67°WLance — 43.15°N, 104.57°WLance — 43.25°N, 104.65°WLance — 44.94°N, 108.85°WLance — 43.30°N, 104.37°WLance — 43.13°N, 104.49°WLance — 43.25°N, 104.52°WLance — 43.80°N, 104.62°WSan Jose — 36.50°N, 107.00°WSan Jose — 35.70°N, 107.00°W"Wasatch" — 44.50°N, 108.00°W"Wasatch" — 40.20°N, 109.90°W"Wasatch" — 44.00°N, 106.60°W"Wasatch" — 43.90°N, 105.70°WFerris — 41.94°N, 106.88°WFerris — 41.80°N, 107.00°WFerris — 41.96°N, 106.89°WFerris — 41.94°N, 106.85°WNorth Horn — 39.00°N, 111.00°WNorth Horn — 39.17°N, 111.27°WNorth Horn — 39.10°N, 111.80°WRavenscrag — 49.50°N, 109.20°WRavenscrag — 49.60°N, 108.70°WRavenscrag — 49.70°N, 110.10°WRavenscrag — 49.06°N, 102.75°WJudith River — 47.70°N, 110.70°WJudith River — 46.42°N, 109.27°WJudith River — 48.92°N, 110.58°WJudith River — 46.46°N, 109.41°WJudith River — 48.57°N, 109.68°WJudith River — 47.81°N, 109.59°WJudith River — 48.98°N, 110.52°WJudith River — 46.10°N, 109.10°WJudith River — 46.47°N, 109.30°WJudith River — 48.93°N, 110.65°WCedar Mountain — 39.00°N, 111.00°WCedar Mountain — 38.66°N, 111.24°WCedar Mountain — 38.94°N, 111.08°WBlack Peaks — 29.20°N, 103.20°WBlack Peaks — 29.28°N, 103.55°WBlack Peaks — 29.42°N, 103.10°WBlack Peaks — 29.46°N, 103.15°W"Fort Union" (= Lebo) — 46.20°N, 109.90°W"Fort Union" (= Lebo) — 45.80°N, 109.80°WLower Variegated Sequence — 43.90°N, 110.80°WLower Variegated Sequence — 43.20°N, 108.20°WHanna — 41.80°N, 107.00°WScollard — 52.33°N, 113.12°WScollard — 51.91°N, 112.97°WScollard — 51.80°N, 113.00°WNagri — 32.77°N, 72.50°EFrenchman — 49.50°N, 109.10°WFrenchman — 49.40°N, 107.40°WFrenchman — 49.30°N, 108.40°WFrenchman — 49.50°N, 109.20°WFrenchman — 49.20°N, 109.20°W

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The named rock units Therapsida has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 145 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 1,538 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

1,826 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 459 sites for Therapsida, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 634 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 622 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Therapsida

Credit
Radim Holiš Fæ Ghedoghedo Ghedo
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Licence
CC Attribution
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record

Smithsonian Open Access and MorphoSource were not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itSynapsida through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Broom 1905)