Helodermoides
| Helodermoides Temporal range: Oligocene
|
|
|---|---|
| 250px | |
| Fossil of Helodermoides tuberculatus | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Anguidae |
| Clade: | †Glyptosaurini |
| Genus: | †Helodermoides Douglass, 1903 |
| Type species | |
| <templatestyles src="Noitalic/styles.css"/>†Helodermoides tuberculatus Douglass, 1903
|
|
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Helodermoides is an extinct genus of anguid lizards from the Oligocene of North America. The genus is monotypic, including only the species Helodermoides tuberculatus. Helodermoides belongs to an extinct subfamily of anguids called Glyptosaurinae. In addition to many fragmentary bones, several complete skeletons of Helodermoides are known. Like other glyptosaurines, Helodermoides was covered in small scale-like bones called osteoderms. The osteoderms covering its skull are hexagonal, tightly interlocking, raised, and rounded.[1]
One fossil of Helodermoides preserves a fused mass of osteoderms at the tip of a shortened tail, thought to represent healing after the end of the tail fell off. The tail would not have been able to grow back because the osteoderms formed a thick bony cap preventing growth. The ability to lose a tail, called autotomy, is also present in living anguids.[2]
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />, or <references group="..." /><templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>
 |
This article about a prehistoric lizard is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
