Styracocephalus

Styracocephalus platyrhynchus (Greek for "spiked-head") is an extinct genus of dinocephalian therapsid that existed during the mid-Permian throughout South Africa, but mainly in the Karoo Basin. It is often referred to by its single known species Styracocephalus platyrhynchus. The Dinocephalia clade consisted of the largest land vertebrates and herbivores during the early to mid-Permian. This period is often also referred to as the Guadalupian epoch, approximately 270 to 260 million years ago.

Although multiple Styracocephalus skulls have been recovered, there has yet to be a specimen found of the entire therapsid skeleton. A majority of the skulls collected have also been mature skulls, as the juvenile tapinocephalid skulls are identified by having a small non-fused basioccipital. The presence of enlarged canines, pachyostotic cranial boss, and horns are all plesiomorphic traits found in Dinocephalia. Styracocephalus's head ornament meant that it could be recognised from a distance. One of the most striking feature of Styracocephalus is the large backward-protruding tabular horns. It was around 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) in length, with a 42-centimetre-long (17 in), 29-centimetre-wide (11 in) skull.