Eutherocephalia
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Through Phylogenetics
Characteristics
The Eutherocephalians evolved several mammal-like traits through convergent evolution with Cynodontia. Among those traits were the loss of palatine teeth and the reduction of the parietal eye. The latter organ is instrumental in thermoregulation among lizards and snakes, indicating both eutherocephalians and cynodonts were evolving toward a more active, homeothermic lifestyle, though the eye never fully disappeared in the eutherocephalians.
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Classification
The clade Eutherocephalia contains the majority of therocephalians, yet the phylogenetic relations of the groups within it remain unclear. Eutherocephalia is supported as a true clade in many phylogenetic analyses, but the placement of groups like Akidnognathidae, Hofmeyriidae, Whaitsiidae, and Baurioidea, all of which lie within Eutherocephalia, remains debated.