Scientists say it was the largest carnivore of its time. He wandered through the forest in search of prey and had a rather frightening appearance.

Details of the find

An almost completely fossilized skull Pampaphoneus biccai It was found along with the bones of a skeleton near San Gabriel in southern Brazil, measuring about 36 centimeters.

Pampaphoneus belongs to the early therapsid dinocephalus group, which includes many different species, mostly large and terrestrial animals. Not all dinocephalans were carnivores, but Pampaphoneus certainly was.

The animal had large, sharp teeth adapted for catching prey. Its dentition and skull architecture suggest that its bite was powerful enough to chew through bone, as in modern hyenas.
– says paleontologist Felipe Pinheiro from the Federal University of Pampa (UNIPAMPA) in Brazil.

Pampaphoneus biccai / Photo: Marcio Castro

Pampaphoneus lived at the end of the Permian period, just before the largest mass extinction in history, which wiped out 86% of all animal species on Earth. The fossil was found in Middle Permian rocks, a region where bones are not very common.

Fossils of other dinocephalans have been found before in other parts of the planet, particularly in South Africa, but this is the first case for Brazil. Scientists say this skull is different from others. It is also larger in size. These ancient animals could reach up to 3 meters in length and their maximum jaw pressure reached 400 kilograms.

Skull of Pampaphoneus biccai / Photo: Felipe Pinheiro

Based on other finds in the area, it is thought that Pampaphoneus may have hunted the small reptile Rastodon and the large amphibian Konzhukovia. Both would be easy prey for this giant. Scientists say it played the same ecological role as today’s big cats.

The skull found probably did not belong to an adult.