Bullacephalus

Bullacephalus is an extinct genus of biarmosuchian therapsids belonging to the family Burnetiidae. The type species B. jacksoni was named in 2003. It is known from a relatively complete skull and lower jaw, discovered in the Late Permian Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufort Group of South Africa. This genus of therapsida lived during the Late Permian period, approximately 250 million years ago. The name Bullacephalus comes from the Latin words "bullatus," meaning "bossed" or "knobbed," and "cephalus," meaning "head." This name refers to the distinctive bony knob on the top of the therapsid's skull, which contributes to the history of this genus. This stem based taxon includes Ictidorhinus or Hippasaurs. Bullacephalus can even be characterized as having a, “skull moderately to greatly pachyostotic; swollen boss present above the postorbital bar formed by the postfrontal and postorbital; deep linear sculpturing of the snout; exclusion of the jugal from the lateral temporal fenestra” (Day et al., 2016). These Therapsids have spongy bone skull roof, palatal process of premaxilla are long, diverticulum of naris adding them to the Burnetiamorph. Furthermore, the discovery of Bullacephalus has helped to refine the taxonomic classification of therapsids. Prior to its discovery, there was uncertainty regarding the relationship between different groups of therapsids, particularly the Burnetiamorpha and the Biarmosuchia. However, the distinctive features of Bullacephalus suggest that it is a member of the Burnetiamorpha, and provides a bridge between this group and the Biarmosuchia. The discovery of Bullacephalus has also highlighted the importance of continued exploration and excavation in areas that have yielded few therapsid fossils. The Beaufort Group of South Africa, where Bullacephalus was discovered, has been an important site for therapsid fossils, but much of the area remains unexplored. Further discoveries in this region and other areas around the world may provide new insights into the evolution and diversification of therapsids, as well as other groups of extinct animals. These discoveries will also help to refine our understanding of the history of life on Earth and the processes that have shaped the diversity of organisms that exist today.