Lystrosaurus

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Lystrosaurus
Front Back
Monsters of the Past
Previous	Kentrosaurus
Next	Deinocheirus
Card	43
Creature Features
Species	Lystrosaurus declivis
Size	Length up to 3.3 ft.; Height up to 1.5 ft.
Where?	Fossils have been found on every continent except South America
When?	240-230 million years ago, during the early Triassic Period
Food	Plants and roots
Did You Know?
The name lystrosaurus means "shovel lizard." The reptile got the name because it was believed to have dug up plants in the water and tossed them onto land.

Lystrosaurus was one of the most successful plant-eaters of all time. About the size of a big dog, this reptile didn't need to eat tons of vegetation, as did larger plant eaters. And there was plenty of food wherever it roamed during the Triassic Period. Also, sharp tusks helped it fight off predators. Though considered a reptile, this animal has traits that make it an ancient ancestor of mammals.

Two-Tusk: Lystrosaurus had two short, but sharp, fang-like tusks. It used them to both dig up plants and defend itself.

Breaking Beak: Thick roots were not a problem for this small beast. The edges of its beak were sharp so it could slice through thick veins, and knife-like plates on the roof of its mouth chopped the plants into pieces it could swallow.

Survivor

This solid skull is in tact after 230 million years.

Despite its name, lystrosaurus was not a dinosaur. This reptile lived just before dinos arrived on Earth. Lystrosaurus' front legs grew from its sides rather than straight down from underneath, as a dinosaur's limbs did. Also, lystrosaurus' jaws were similar to those of a modern mammal. Scientists think this reptile is the ancestor of the small mammals that survived the age of dinosaurs.

Free Range: This reptile's fossils have been found all over the world. When lystrosaurus was alive, all the continents were joined together in one land mass, and the creature roamed freely over most of it.

Mud Bath: Lystrosaurus lived near water, and probably spent some of its time hip-deep in it. This creature's high-set nostrils let it root through muddy shallows without having to lift its head to breathe.

Not in My Neighborhood

1. As a lystrosaurus family forages for plants near a river, a cynognathus stalks them. When the mother turns her back, the predator pounces at the younger reptile.
2. Mother lystrosaurus springs to the defense of her young and wrestles with the predator, jabbing her fang-like tusks into the cynognathus.
3. Unable to overcome the angry mother, the cynognathus runs off to lick its wounds. The lystrosaurus family goes back to feeding, but stays on guard for other attackers.

Trading Card

Lystrosaurus Lystrosaurus was a small plant eater, but predators may have been in for a surprise when launching an attack against it. The reptile used its sharp teeth as weapons, and could injure or kill an attacker. Say What? Lystrosaurus may have been covered in fur. Stats Life 100 Attack 3 Defense 5

Trivia

• It is now known from mummified specimens that Lystrosaurus didn't have scales or fur. Its skin was leathery and hairless.
• The lystrosaurus is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
  • It is first featured in Timeline Tracker on Monster Mania 24.
  • It is then featured in Man & Beast on Monster Mania 40.
• Eustreptospondylus is mislabeled as the lystrosaurus on the timeline for the American Mastodon’s knowledge card.