Otsheria Explained

Otsheria is an extinct genus of anomodont, in the infraorder venyukovioidea. It lived in modern-day Russia during the Permian.^[1]

The genus is named for the Ochyor region where it was discovered in 1960, and the type species is Otsheria netzvetajevi.^[2]

The holotype, a skull lacking a mandible (PIN 1758/5), is the only Otsheria fossil extant. The skull is 10.5cm (04.1inches) in length, with large eye sockets and a short, broad snout. The skull suggests four incisors and nine short, flattened maxillary teeth. The canines are undifferentiated. The shape of the teeth and skull both suggest a mouth adapted for cutting plant parts, which in turn suggests a herbivorous or omnivorous diet.^[3]

See also

• List of therapsids

Further reading

• The Origin and Evolution of Mammals (Oxford Biology) by T. S. Kemp
• The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia by Michael J. Benton, Mikhail A. Shishkin, David M. Unwin, and Evgenii N. Kurochkin
• Origins of the Higher Groups of Tetrapods: Controversy and Consensus by Hans-Peter Schultze and Linda Trueb
• Reptiles and Herbivory by G.M. King

Notes and References

1. Modesto, S. P. & Rybcynski, N. The amniote faunas of the Russian Permian: implications for Late Permian terrestrial vertebrate biogeography. In Benton, M. J.; Shishkin, M. A.; Unwin, D. M.; Kurochkin, E. N. The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia. Cambridge University Press, 2001. 672 p.
2. Ivakhnenko . M.F. . Eotherapsids from the East European Placket (Late Permian) . Paleontological Journal . 2003 . 37 . S4 . 339–465 . 6 March 2023.
3. Book: Kemp, T. S. . 2005 . The Origin and Evolution of Mammals . Oxford University Press . 39–42 . 978-0-19-850761-1.