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Mastodonsaurus
Mastodonsaurus, Jaeger, 1878
number on the map: 17
Order: Temnospondyli
Mastodonsaurus is one of the oldest labyrinthodonts. It owes its name to palaeontologists who initially qualified it as a crocodile, due to the structural similarity of bone bumps under the skin. Fossils of organisms from the family Mastodonsauridae were found in North America, Greenland, Europe, Asia and Australia. Currently, the genus Mastodonsaurus includes three species: Mastodonsaurus jaegeri, Mastodonsaurus giganteus and Mastodonsaurus torvus.
The triangular shaped head constituted about 20–25% of the body length. The tail was disproportionately short.
body length: 4–6 m
body mass: ok. 600–1 000 kg
temporal range: 230 mya