synapsid

Scientific  

/ sĭ-năp′sĭd /

1. Any of various amniotes with one temporal opening on each side of the skull. Synapsids emerged in the late Permian Period and were characterized by carrying their limbs under their body and developing front teeth that were different from their back teeth. One group of synapsids, the therapsids, gave rise to the mammals.

2. Compare anapsid diapsid therapsid

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Example Sentences

Unable to warm themselves in the sun, these small, vole-like synapsids began burning calories to generate heat.

From The Wall Street Journal

The area's rust-colored rocks date back to the early Permian period more than 270 million years ago and contain the fossilized remains of ancient reptiles, amphibians and sail-backed synapsids, the precursors to modern mammals.

From Science Daily

Researchers studied the jaw anatomy and body size of carnivorous synapsids, using these traits to reconstruct the likely feeding habits of these ancient predators and chart their ecological evolution through time.

From Science Daily

At some points, larger synapsids were the ones that survived, and the winners weren't just generalist insect-eaters.

From Science Daily

These synapsids, he added, “are more closely related to us than any dinosaur or other reptile.”

From New York Times