Bradysaurus baini

Bradysaurus is part of the pareiasaurs, a group of parareptiles that is extinct today. 

This specimen was discovered in the Karoo Basin, a region in South Africa that is very rich in Permian and Triassic fossils. At the time, the climate was semi-arid but the region was occupied by semi-permanent lakes and was traversed by many rivers. The vegetation was sufficiently abundant to feed numerous herbivorous animals, including the pareiasaurs.

Bradysaurus baini had cranial bones shaped like those of the crocodiles and stegocephalians (such as Eryops) but the sutures between the bones were not visible. Its teeth were quite high-crowned, spatulate in shape and had denticles on their anterior and posterior edges. Bradysaurus measured around 2.5 m in length and weighed about a tonne; its bones were massive. 

Cast of a skeleton discovered in 1889 by Mr Seeley and conserved in the Natural History Museum of London.