Glanosuchus macrops was first described in 1904 by South African paleontologist Robert Broom, who named the genus and species on the basis of a nearly complete holotype skull.

The stapes and vestibular foramen (the hole that connects the middle and inner ears) are preserved in one specimen of Glanosuchus that was examined by grinding away cross sections of the skull.

The anular ligament, a ring-like structure that forms a seal between the end of the stapes and the rim of the vestibular foramen, was probably held in place by cartilage.

The transfer of sound between the thin bony plate and the vestibular foramen in Glanosuchus was not as effective as it is in mammals, meaning that the animal had a less acute sense of hearing.

Modern mammals possess maxilloturbinates, which are a type of concha (shelf of bone) in the nasal cavity that collect moisture from inhaled air.

[7] Nonetheless, the possible presence of maxilloturbinates suggests that Glanosuchus may have been able to rapidly breathe without drying out the nasal passage, and therefore could have been an endotherm.

Choanae, two holes in the palate that connect the nasal cavity to the mouth, are positioned far forward in reptiles, early synapsids, and Glanosuchus.

[3] The choanae migrated farther back in the palate later in therocephalian evolution, suggesting that advanced forms like Bauria had high metabolic rates similar to those of mammals.

This expansion occurred in both therocephalians and the related cynodonts, indicating that the two groups were convergently acquiring mammalian characteristics in the Permian and Triassic.