What is "herpetoskylax"

Herpetoskylax is an extinct genus of synapsid biarmosuchian which existed in South Africa. The type species is Herpetoskylax hopsoni. It lived in the Late Permian Period.

The genus name means ‘reptile-puppy’, from the Ancient Greek (, ‘creeping animal’) and (, ‘young dog’). The juxtaposition of reptilian and mammalian names highlights the transitional characters of therapsids.