Glanosuchus
species of mammal (fossil)
Glanosuchus is a genus of scylacosaurid therocephalian from the Middle Permian of South Africa. The type species G. macrops was named by Robert Broom in 1904. Glanosuchus had a middle ear structure that was intermediate between that of early therapsids and mammals. Ridges in the nasal cavity of Glanosuchus suggest it had an at least partially endothermic metabolism similar to modern mammals. Originally it was hypothesized that Glanosuchus survived the Capitanian mass extinction and persisted into the Endothiodon Assemblage Zone. However more recent analysis suggests it was restricted to the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone, suggesting Glanosuchus went extinct during the primary phase of the extinction event.
Description
Glanosuchus macrops was first described in 1904 by South African paleontologist Robert Broom, who named the genus and species on the basis of a nearly complete holotype skull. The skull has been distorted during fossilization and the bone is indistinguishable from the surrounding matrix in some parts. In illustrating the holotype, Broom chose to reconstruct the skull of the species rather than draw the actual specimen.
The skull of Glanosuchus is about 30 centimetres (12 in) long, although some skulls approached 37 centimetres (15 in).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Glanosuchus” as species of mammal (fossil). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of mammal (fossil). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1529208. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1904.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Glanosuchus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.