Dinocephalia is a clade of large-bodied early therapsids that flourished for a brief time in the Middle Permian between 272 and 260 million years ago (Ma), but became extinct leaving no descendants. Dinocephalians included both herbivorous and carnivorous forms. Many species had thickened skulls with many knobs and bony projections. Dinocephalian fossils are known from Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.