Labidosaurus is an extinct genus of anapsid reptile from the Permian period of North America. Fossils have been discovered in Texas.
| Labidosaurus Temporal range: Early Permian
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| Genus: | Labidosaurus
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| Species: | L. hamatus
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Labidosaurus was heavily built, resembling a lizard with a large head, and measuring about 75 centimetres (30 in) long. It had multiple rows of sharp, conical teeth, suitable for crushing animals with hard shells, such as insects or molluscs, although they may also have eaten tough plants.[1]
A lower jaw of Labidosaurus was described in 2011 that shows evidence of osteomyelitis, or an infection of the bone. It is the earliest known example of an infection in a land vertebrate. The infection probably developed because the pulp cavity of a broken dentary tooth was exposed to bacteria. Although another tooth would have replaced the broken one, regeneration would have been slow. Labidosaurus and other early reptiles adapted to herbivory by having teeth that were deeply implanted in the jaws. This deep implantation limited tooth replacement, meaning that a broken tooth would have been exposed for a long period of time.[2]
References
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 63. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ^ Reisz, R.R. (2011). "Osteomyelitis in a Paleozoic reptile: ancient evidence for bacterial infection and its evolutionary significance". Naturwissenschaften. in press. doi:10.1007/s00114-011-0792-1.
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