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 ...

Mammals are the only living members of the larger clade Synapsida, which has a fossil record spanning 320 Ma. Despite the fact that much of the ecological diversity of mammals has been considered in ...

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 ...