Tupilakosauridae

{{Short description|Extinct family of temnospondyls}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = Tupilakosauridae

| fossil_range = Early Permian - Early Triassic, {{fossil range|273|245}}

| image = Tupilakosaurus.jpg

| image_caption = Tupilakosaurus

| display_parents = 2

| taxon = Tupilakosauridae

| authority = Kuhn, 1960

| subdivision_ranks = Genera

| subdivision = *?Kourerpeton

• Slaugenhopia
• Thabanchuia
• Tupilakosaurus

}}

Tupilakosauridae is an extinct family of dvinosaurian temnospondyls. It contains the genera Slaugenhopia, Thabanchuia, Tupilakosaurus, and possibly Kourerpeton.{{cite journal |last=Milner |first=A. R. |author2=Sequeira, S. E. K. |year=2004 |title=Slaugenhopia texensis (Amphibia: Temnospondyli) from the Permian of Texas is a primitive tupilakosaurid |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=320–325 |doi=10.1671/1974}} Tupilakosaurs are known from Texas, Greenland, Russia, and France.{{cite journal |last=Werneburg |first=R. |author2=Steyer, J. S. |author3=Sommer, G. |author4=Gand, G. |author5=Schneider, J. W. |author6= Vianey-Liaud, M. |year=2007 |title=The earliest tupilakosaurid amphibian with diplospondylous vertebrae from the Late Permian of southern France |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=26–30 |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[26:TETAWD]2.0.CO;2}} The earliest tupilakosaur, Slaugenhopia, is Early Permian in age while the latest known tupilakosaurs are Early Triassic in age. Derived tupilakosaurs possess embolomerous centra in their vertebrae, which are diplospondylous. They also have a deep notch in the pterygoid bone of the palate. Tupilakosaurs were aquatic, and used an undulatory mode of swimming much like that of eels.