VENOMOUS THERAPSID

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

Steve asked....

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Sometime ago (years, that is) I read an article in Discover 
magazine (I think) about therapsid predators who seemed to 
have hollow fangs and may have been venomous. I've never 
seen this mentioned since, so I was wondering if anybody 
could provide any information on the actuality of this.
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There is indeed a venomous dinocephalian, related to 
moschorhinids and given its own family when described by 
Hopson and Berghusen in 1986, called _Euchambersia 
mirabilis_. From the Late Permian of South Africa. Its 
purported venomosity is based on hollow grooves in its 
teeth and cavities in the skull suggested to be spaces for 
venom glands. I have figures somewhere.

I'm sure I've told you this before:)

-- 
Darren Naish
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
University of Portsmouth UK, PO1 3QL

email: darren.naish@port.ac.uk
tel: 023 92846045