Fossil skull of the extinct cynodont therapsid Cynognathus crateronotus. Cynognathus was a powerful predator that was close to being a mammal, but not quite. It has been found in several parts of ...

The evolutionary success of the first large predators on land was driven by their need to improve as killers, researchers suggest. The evolutionary success of the first large predators on land was ...

Exhibit specimen of Edaphosaurus, a pelycosaur synapsid, from the collections at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Pelycosaurs are the most ancient forerunners of mammals. This study shows that ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American With hues inspired by calcite and a plastic ...

Color-coded diagram of a small bone bed containing at least twelve individuals of the Permian synapsid Suminia. From Frobisch and Reisz (2009) *[In other words, all living mammals shared a common ...