Pareisauria
Quick Summary
Pareiasauria was an order of extinct, heavily built, herbivorous reptiles that lived during the Permian Period. These were among the first very large land vertebrates, though they were not dinosaurs.1
Key characteristics of pareiasaurs include:
* Massive bodies and strong limbs.1
* Grotesque skulls often featuring bony protuberances.1
* Leaf-shaped teeth along the jaw margins and on the palate.1
* A thick skull, with some species having skulls about 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) long.1
The family Pareiasauridae was widely distributed, and Pareiasaurus is the type genus for this family. Fossils have been found in deposits in southern Africa.231
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
