A group of extinct mammal-like reptiles from the Permian and Triassic periods that had two large tusk-like teeth.
From Greek 'di-' (two) and 'cynodont' (dog tooth), referring to the characteristic pair of large canine teeth these creatures possessed. The term was coined by paleontologists to classify these important evolutionary precursors to mammals.
Dicynodonts were some of the most successful animals ever—they dominated the Earth for over 60 million years before dinosaurs took over, yet few people know about them because they all went extinct before we had mammals to relate to.
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