| Labidosaurus Temporal range:Early Permian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Family: | †Captorhinidae |
| Genus: | †Labidosaurus Cope, 1896 |
| Species: | †L. hamatus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Labidosaurus hamatus (Cope, 1895) | |
Labidosaurus (fromGreek:λᾰβῐ́δοςlăbĭdos, 'forceps' andGreek:σαῦροςsaûros, 'lizard') is anextinctgenus ofcaptorhinidtetrapods from thePermian period of North America. Fossils have been discovered inTexas.
It was heavily built, resembling alizard with a large head, and measuring about 75 centimetres (30 in) long. Like most captorhinids,[1] it was probably quadrupedal.[2] Unlike many other captorhinids it had a single row of sharp, conical teeth in its jaws, and its dietary habits are assumed to have beenomnivorous.[3]
A lower jaw ofLabidosaurus was described in 2011 that shows evidence ofosteomyelitis, or an infection of the bone. It is the earliest known example of an infection in a land vertebrate. The infection probably developed because thepulp cavity of a brokendentary tooth was exposed tobacteria. Although another tooth would have replaced the broken one, regeneration would have been slow.Labidosaurus and other derived captorhinids had 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.[4]
