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ictodosaur

ictodosaur

9.9
An extinct animal with features between reptiles and early mammals
  • noun
  • /ˌɪktəˈdoʊsɔr/
  • Specialized
: ictodoso
  • The discovery of a complete ictodosaur skeleton helped to clarify the relationships among prehistoric vertebrates.

Examples

  • Some paleontologists believe that the ictodosaur was among the earliest creatures with transitional mammalian features.

  • Fossils of the ictodosaur provide crucial evidence for the evolutionary link between reptiles and mammals.

  • The ictodosaur lived during the late Permian period.

  • Did you know that the ictodosaur is a distant relative of mammals?

  • Fossils of the ictodosaur provide crucial evidence for the evolutionary link between reptiles and mammals.

  • Some paleontologists believe that the ictodosaur had features that placed it between reptiles and true mammals.

  • The discovery of a complete ictodosaur skeleton has enhanced our understanding of mammalian evolution.

Surface Forms

ictodosaur singular
ictodosaurs plural

Etymology

The word ictodosaur can be seen as two parts: ictodo-, which you can remember as 'in-between' or 'mixed', and -saur, which means 'lizard' and is the same ending as in dinosaur. So an ictodosaur is a 'mixed lizard' that shows the link between reptiles and mammals.