Estemmenosuchus fossil map
Where fossils of Estemmenosuchus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 275 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 275 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Pre-mammals (synapsids) |
|---|---|
| Lived | 274.4–264.28 million years ago (Roadian to Wordian) |
| Periods | Permian |
| Family | Estemmenosuchidae |
| Named by | Chudinov 1960 |
| Fossil records | 5 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Russian Federation |
| Rock formations | txn:38964, Belebei |
About Estemmenosuchus
Estemmenosuchus (meaning "crowned crocodile" in Greek) is an extinct genus of large herbivorous dinocephalian therapsid. It lived during the Middle Permian around 267 million years ago. The two species, E. uralensis and E. mirabilis, are characterised by distinctive horn-like structures, which were probably used for intra-specific display and/or combat. Both species of Estemmenosuchus are from the Perm (or Cis-Urals) region of Russia. It is currently the only recognised genus in the family Estemmenosuchidae. Two other estemmenosuchids, Anoplosuchus and Zopherosuchus, are now considered females of the species E. uralensis. There were many complete and incomplete skeletons found together.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Estemmenosuchus (revision 1370330366), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
