THE REPTILES OF THE KARROO FORMATION 251 



have long pointed skulls like Mesosaurus, but they must 

 have been much less typically aquatic forms. . 



Above the Pareiasaurus horizon we come to a fauna 

 much resembling the lower, but characterised by the 

 absence of the gigantic herbivorous and carnivorous 

 forms and by the great abundance and variety of 

 Anomodonts. Dicynodon and Oudenodon are the com- 

 monest genera, most of the forms being of sizes varying 

 from that of very young pigs to that of large boars. 

 Many allied forms are met with which have in addition to 

 the horny beak numerous small molar teeth. These 

 form the group called Endothiodonts. The best known 

 type, Endothiodon bathystoma, was an animal which 

 stood about two feet high, and had an enormous head 

 with a powerful beak ; another Endothiodont was smaller 

 than a guinea-pig. 



Therocephalians are met with but are not so common 

 as in the lower beds, and they appear to belong to a 

 slightly higher type. Cynodraco, one of the best known, 

 was an animal larger and more powerful than a wolf. 

 Scymnosaurus was probably as large as a tiger, but some 

 others were probably not larger than a cat. No very 

 large animals appear to have lived in South Africa at 

 this time, but a peculiar type of Pareiasaurian called 

 Propappus survived. It is closely allied to Pareiasaurus 

 but only about two-thirds the size, and it is remarkable 

 for having had the whole back covered with bony plates 

 somewhat after the manner of the crocodile. 



Immediately above what may be called the Endothio- 

 dont zone is a series of beds characterised by the presence 

 of a remarkable type of Anomodont called Kistecephalus. 



