Description

Aphaneramma Stereospondyl Skull Replica measures 12x7x2 inches. Aphaneramma Stereospondyl Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Cast from UC Berkley. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home decor skull, or office decor skull.

The Aphaneramma Stereospondyl are a group of extinct temnospondyl amphibians. They had simplified backbones, where the whole vertebra was made of a single intercentrum, topped by a neural arch.

The whole vertebral structure was rather weak, meaning that most stereospondyls were aquatic. The family Plagiosauridae appear to have been wholly aquatic and retained their larval gills in adulthood.

Aphaneramma Stereospondyl first appeared during the Late Permian. During this time, the two major groups of stereospondyls, capitosaurians and trematosaurians, appeared. Aphaneramma Stereospondyls were relatively uncommon in the Paleozoic, outnumbered by the more diverse euskelians.

During this time, they were endemic to Gondwana. Many early groups of temnospondyls became extinct during the Permian-Triassic extinction event but Aphanerama stereospondyls likely survived in Australia or Antarctica, radiating worldwide in the Triassic.

Aphaneramma Stereospondyl were particularly diverse during the Early Triassic, with small-bodied taxa such as lapillopsids and lydekkerinids that were likely more terrestrially capable present alongside larger taxa that would continue into the Middle Triassic, such as brachyopoids and trematosauroids.

The vast majority of Aphaneramma stereospondyl, particularly the large-bodied taxa, have been inferred to have been obligately aquatic based on features of the external anatomy such as a well-developed lateral line system, poorly ossified postcranial skeleton, and occasional preservation of proxies of external gills.

Many taxa also reflect adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle as evidence in bone histology, which is pachyostotic in many taxa, although some studies suggest a greater terrestrial ability than historically inferred. Most of the aquatic taxa resided in freshwater environments, but some trematosauroids in particular like Aphaneramma stereospondyl are thought to have been euryhaline based on their preservation in marine sediments with marine organisms.

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Additional information

Weight 3 lbs
Dimensions 12 × 7 × 2 in
Aphanerama Sterospondyl Facts

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: †Temnospondyli
Clade: †Stereospondylomorpha
Suborder: †Stereospondyli