AN IMPERFECT SKELETON OF YOUNGINA 
CAPENSIS, BROOM, IN THE COLLECTION OF 
THE TRANSVAAL MUSEUM 
By R. Broom, M.D., D.Sc., F.R.S. 
In January, 1913, I discovered at New Bethesda, Cape Province, the very 
fine skull which I made the type of Youngina capensis. This little reptile 
is one of the most important discoveries of recent times as it is the most 
primitive two arched skull known. Quite a number of Diapsidon skulls 
of various types have been known from the Trias beds of Europe, America 
and Africa, but Youngina is the only known type with a two-arched skull 
occurring in Permian beds, and as might be expected, it is more primitive 
in structure than any of the later types. It has a long pointed beak with 
numerous Thecodont teeth; and there is no preorbital vacuity. The 
posterior part of the skull is in general appearance Sphenodon-Yike with a 
small supra temporal vacuity and a larger infra temporal. There is a large 
pineal foramen. But Youngina is remarkable in retaining a distinct tabular 
bone and also an interparietal. The squamosal is larger and the quadrat o- 
jugal small. Differing so greatly from all previously known forms Youngina 
becomes the type of not only a new family Y ounginidae, but indicates a 
new Order which I have called the Eosuchia. 
The Eosuchia is probably the ancestral order from which not only 
Sphenodon, Crocodiles, Pterodactyles and Dinosaurs have been derived, 
but possibly also contains the ancestors of modern lizards. Youngina being 
thus such an extremely interesting type it is of the utmost importance 
that we should know something more of it than merely the skull. The type 
skull was associated with a number of vertebrae but nothing was known 
of the limbs or girdles. 
Fortunately, a few years ago Mr I. Venter, then a teacher at New 
Bethesda, discovered an almost perfect skeleton within a few yards of the 
spot which yielded the type. Most regrettably, however, he removed the 
remains in a very unskilful manner and what was apparently a complete 
skeleton is now merely a few fragmentary bones with very few contacts 
remaining. These remnants are now in the Pretoria Museum. Still, though 
much has been lost, the remaining Foments tell us quite a lot. The only 
perfect bones to be seen are the right tibia and the left tarsus and some 
vertebrae, but there is a nearly perfect left humerus, and portions of quite 
a large number of other bones. 
The skull is represented by little more than the maxillae premaxillae 
and dentaries with most of the palate. This shows Youngina to have a 
longer and sharper snout than was believed to be the case before — the 
front of the snout being lost in the type. There appear to be three teeth in 
the premaxilla and about 20 in the maxilla. The palate is imperfectly seen 
on its upper side. It is apparently of the Rhynchocephalian type with long 
pterygoids. 
