Definition of stereospondyl in English:
stereospondyl
nounˌstɪərɪə(ʊ)ˈspɒndɪlˌstɛrɪə(ʊ)ˈspɒndɪlˌsti(ə)r-
A fossil amphibian with a broad flat head, occurring in the Permian and Triassic periods.
Suborder Stereospondyli, order Temnospondyli: several families
Example sentencesExamples
- One lineage of stereospondyls, the Trematosauridae, actually took up a life in the oceans, the only stem tetrapods ever to have done so.
- The exhibit showed the flat skull of the stereospondyls and explained that they had large and unusually flat skulls and that the bones were solidly fused.
- According to our results, Sclerothorax is nested well within the higher stereospondyls, forming the sister taxon of capitosauroids.
- Somewhere between the granddaddy stereospondyl and Trematosaurus there is a branch leading to hundreds of other species of stereospondyl, including metoposaurs, plagiosaurs, batrachosaurs and many, many others.
- This is the first report of presumed stereospondyls from New Zealand.
Origin
Early 20th century: from modern Latin Stereospondyli (plural), from Greek stereos 'solid' + spondulos 'vertebra'.