| Dinosaurus Temporal range: ~
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Genus: | †Dinosaurus Fischer, 1847 |
| Species: | †D. murchisonii
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| Binomial name | |
| †Dinosaurus murchisonii (Fischer, 1845)
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Dinosaurus is an extinct genus of therapsid of controversial affinities. Its type and only species is Dinosaurus murchisonii. It is only known from a partial snout from the Permian of Russia. Its taxonomic history is intertwined with several other poorly-known Russian therapsids, particularly Rhopalodon, Brithopus, and Phthinosuchus.
Dinosaurus is not a dinosaur; the similarity in names is coincidental. Dinosaurs belong to the clade Dinosauria, a clade of reptiles, whereas Dinosaurus is a therapsid, and as such, more closely related to mammals. Dinosauria was named only five years prior to Dinosaurus, in 1842.
- ^ Kammerer 2011, p. 288.
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