BradysaurusBradysaurus lived late in a period of time known as the Permian, around 245 million years ago. It was one of the largest reptiles ever to have lived up to that time. It reached lengths of up to 3 meters or 10 feet and weighed and was the mega-fauna of the day in much the same way that elephants are today.
LifestyleWhile the fossil record leaves no clues about the behavior of this animal, the bones themselves make some suggestions. The creature was definitely slow moving as suggested by the heavy leg bones and deep, broad ribcage. Being an herbivore, it would have had to eat a good deal of food since the plants that were present at the time were low in nutritional value. At that time plant matter was hard to find and it is likely that these creatures lived in small herds that were well spaced apart. Their slow speed meant they could not live solitary lives as they did not possess sufficient defences to ward off the large predatory reptiles that lived at the same time. The Fossil RecordThis animal was a member of a family of anapsid reptiles called the pareiasaurs. Pareiasaurs were the dominant land animals for only a very brief time towards the end of the Permian before they disappeared entirely from the fossil record, leaving no descendants.
Bradysaurus is thought to be a possible ancestor of the other pareiasaurs such as Scutosaurus and Velosaurus mainly because it shows features in a more primitive state than those more advanced species. In comparison to Scutosaurus, this creature had less well developed armor in the skin and a smaller frill protecting the neck. The legs were also splayed out to the sides of the body rather than positioned underneath as in the more advanced Scutosaurus.The fact that fossils of this herbivorous giant have been found in similar age rocks to other pareiasaurs suggests that the group diversified very rapidly. It is also possible that ancestral pareiasaurs such as Bradysaurus could have co-existed with the more advanced Scutosaurs and Velosaurs. Several SpeciesThere were at least four species of the Bradysaurinae, which is the family name for these animals. These have been identified on the structure of their teeth and also on size of the adult skeletons. It makes sense that species should be identified by differences in their teeth because this indicates differences in diet and therefore in location and behavior. Return from Bradysaurus to Reptile Evolution or return to the Reptiles Home Page.
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