Stanocephalosaurus is a prehistoric temnospondyl an extinct type of amphibian that lived in Northern Africa and southwestern US in Mid Triassic. It was discovered by Barnum Brown in 1933. It's name means (''narrow headed lizard''). The name "narrow headed lizard" came from the creatures long narrow skull which happened to be longer than most other temnospondyls.
Most temnospondyl lived and perished during the Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic. Stanocephalosaurus was one of the few survivors of a dying species. Stanocephalosaurus like all other temnospondyl had claws and armour on their soft bodies which modern amphibians don't have. Stanocephalosaurus was aquatic llike all other. Only three fossils of Stanocephalosaurus have been found in the whole world the fossils were found in locations such as Tanzania Africa, Algeria Africa and Arizona North America.
Many people have questioned about the lifestyle of Stanocephalosaurus some suggesting that they could have been bottom dwellers, to ambushers and even active hunters although none of these three behaviors have been confirmed to suggest what Stanocephalosaurus lifestyle was really like. Evidence suggests that Stanocephalosaurus life was probably more adapted to life in water than life on land. While it is unknown if Stanocephalosaurus was an ambush predator or an active hunter some people have suggested that Stanocephalosaurus might have hunted in a way that is similar to modern day alligators and crocodiles laying in wait just bellow the surface of the water waiting to catch their prey.
Habitat[]
Stanocephalosaurus was found the Moenkopi Formation the formation spread from Arizona to New Mexico, Nevada, California, Utah and Colorado. Moenkopi Formation was home to many Temnospondyl as well as other amphibians. It is bedeviled that the habitat was a floodplain that had trees, woods, forests, streams, rivers, creeks, brooks and pond. It was also home to other fauna who made the place their home others that lived in habitats were reptiles like, lizards, turtles, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, fish like, lungfish, freshwater sharks, freshwater rays, coelacanth, small mammals, invertebrates like, insects, crustaceans, arachnids and last few synapsids.
While it's environment was thought to be like a floodplain it is also believed that Stanocephalosaurus habitat had strong seasonal rains.
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