There are no modern forms, Dicynodonts went
extinct in the Triassic (see Lazarus taxa, below). Dicynodontia
carries no lines to the present day, however, the synapsid line carries
on through the mammalia (Figure 4.1).
Figure 4.1. Diagram showing extinctions and
diversifications of major groups over time. Note the synapsida line
carries on through the mammalia to the present day.
Dicynodont: A Lazarus Taxa?
In 2003, a group claimed to have found a dicynodon fossil attributed to Late-Cretaceous Australia, approximately 110 million years after the supposed demise of the dicynodont. This doubles the life history of these animals and may be a counterpart to the Cerotopsian dinosaurs during the Cretaceous (Thulborn and Turner, 2003).
Dicynodont: A Lazarus Taxa?
In 2003, a group claimed to have found a dicynodon fossil attributed to Late-Cretaceous Australia, approximately 110 million years after the supposed demise of the dicynodont. This doubles the life history of these animals and may be a counterpart to the Cerotopsian dinosaurs during the Cretaceous (Thulborn and Turner, 2003).