The skull is tall and has a short, blunt snout. The
premaxillae have a long and narrow upper branch extending between the
nares (nostril holes), which are large and elliptical. Each premaxilla has four large and chisel-shaped teeth which are slightly procumbent (leaning forwards), similar to many placodonts. The teeth are strongly attached via long roots.
Micro-CT scanning of the specimen reveals more details of the jaw and internal structures of the skull. The
mandible was much more slender than in placodonts, though the rear part is not fully preserved. The
dentary has at least 14 pointed teeth which are sharp and narrow, though they become larger and more robust further back in the jaw. The rear of the jaw includes a low
coronoid, a thin
surangular, and an elongated
angular which likely contains the jaw joint. The
palatine bone, which lies along the
palate (roof of the mouth) parallel to the maxilla, hosted a single row of large teeth similar to those of the maxilla. This is a specialization relative to most other reptiles, which lack palatine teeth or have multiple rows of tiny denticles. Placodonts are another exception with a single row of large teeth on their palatine, though their teeth are broad and plate-like. Other fragments of palate bones, such as the
vomer and
pterygoid, lack teeth or denticles. The only preserved portion of the
braincase is a
basisphenoid, the bone which connects the base of the braincase to the palate. The basisphenoid has two holes for each
internal carotid artery as well as stout vertical prongs. Various disarticulated
phalanges (finger bones) are mixed up with the skull. == References ==