Procolophonidae

The most primitive procolophonids were likely insectivorous or omnivorous, while more derived members of the clade developed bicusped molars, likely either herbivores feeding on high fiber vegetation or durophagous omnivores. Many members of the group are noted for spines projecting from the quadratojugal bone of the skull, which likely served a defensive purpose as well as possibly also for display. At least some taxa were likely fossorial burrowers. == Evolution ==

Procolophonids radiated in the aftermath of the Permian-Triassic extinction event, adapting to changes in the availability of different food resources. While diverse during the Early and Middle Triassic, they had very low diversity during the Late Triassic, and were extinct by the beginning of the Jurassic. ==Phylogeny==

The family is defined as all taxa more closely related to Procolophon trigoniceps than to Owenetta rubidgei. }} Below are three cladograms that follow phylogenetic analyses by Butler et al. (2023). Analysis 1: Strict consensus of 760 most parsimonious trees (MPTs): }} Analysis 2: Single MPT: }} Analysis 3: Strict consensus of 18 MPTs: }} ==References==