Dimetrodon It was the largest predator of its time, preying on giant amphibians during the Early Permian Period, about 300 million years ago.
“They basically ate whatever they wanted,” says Kerstin Brink, a paleontologist at the University of Manitoba in Canada, who studies these creatures.
However, these ancient sailfin reptiles have often been misunderstood throughout history, and for part of the last 150 years were even mistakenly classified as dinosaurs. Dimetrodon Rather, they were more closely related to mammals than to dinosaurs, birds, or surviving reptiles.
Discovery of Dimetrodon
Dimetrodon When a portion of its upper jaw was discovered on Prince Edward Island in 1845, it was thought to be one of the oldest dinosaurs ever discovered. Bathygnus borealis.
The problem is, Bathygnus borealis It wasn’t a dinosaur; in fact, it belongs to a separate evolutionary lineage of vertebrates. Dinosaurs, birds, and modern reptiles are all sauropsids, but Brink and her colleagues helped reclassify them. Bathygnus borealis As synapsids, a large lineage of vertebrates from which mammals ultimately derived.
“We are actually Dimetrodon “More than any other reptile,” Brink said, Dimetrodon It is unlikely that they are the direct ancestors of mammals.
With an improved understanding of these organisms, Brink and her colleagues recently Bathygnus borealis To Dimetrodon borealis — This is an unusual step, as older names are usually preferred in taxonomy.
“We suggest that precedent needs to be reversed to preserve familiar names. Dimetrodon and maintain universality and recognize new species. Dimetrodon borealisBrink and her colleagues study Published in 2015 Canadian Journal of Geosciences.
The number of Dimetrodon Brink said the number of species discovered has increased over the years, to at least 14, but the classification is “still a little confusing” because some of what’s classified as a separate species are simply the larvae of other species.
read more: Complete timeline of the extinction of the dinosaurs: How long did dinosaurs roam the Earth?
What did Dimetrodon look like?
It has nothing to do with them, Dimetrodon It certainly looked a bit like a lizard. It was the largest of its genus. Dimetrodon grandis, It was probably more than two metres long.
Giant sail fin
The salient features of Dimetrodon The species has long been a point of contention among paleontologists. Both creatures had large, sail-like fins that stretched down their backs from their necks to the base of their tails, unlike the basilisk lizard and sailfin dragon, both of which have similarly large fins today. Dimetrodon Coats of arms were inflexible.
Some scientists think the sails acted as a kind of giant solar panel. Dimetrodon It may have faced the sun to gather heat while basking. The problem is, when researchers cut open parts of the fossilized sail, they couldn’t find any spaces for blood vessels, Brink said. What is necessary to use it effectively as a measure against global warming?Among the closely related species in the fossil record are Sphenacodonwas similarly built but lacked a sail, so Brink Dimetrodon There was no need to warm up.
“This may suggest that they weren’t just using it to regulate their body temperature,” she says.
Other experts believe the sails were brightly decorated. Dimetrodon It may have been used for camouflage. If not, the color Used as a sexual signalBrink says these creatures use color to attract potential mates or scare off potential enemies. The problem is, we don’t know for sure, because none of these creatures’ pigments remain as fossils.
“The sails were certainly disruptive and I think they still are,” Brink said.
Dimetrodon Tooth
recently study Published in Nature CommunicationsBlink is Dimetrodon Fossils. The teeth were primarily blade-shaped, although some recent fossils have teeth with long gums and/or serrated edges.
all Dimetrodon They were probably carnivorous, although smaller versions may have been insectivorous, and preyed on other carnivores when they first lived in the Early Permian period. Dimetrodon Creatures that may have included the following: Diplocaulusone of the earliest amphibians, or Eriops.
But over time, their prey variety may have increased: The Permian saw the appearance of the first herbivorous vertebrates, which provided ample prey, Brink says. Dimetrodon.
read more: How do scientists recreate what dinosaurs looked like?
End of the Permian Extinction
The good times didn’t last long DimetrodonMost life on Earth was not like that. The fossil record shows that Dimetrodon The genus became extinct towards the end of the Cisurarian Stage of the Permian.
By the time of the end-Permian extinction event 252 million years ago, these organisms had all but disappeared. This was a series of extinction waves that all came together. Possibly caused the largest extinction of species on Earth.
read more: Permian Extinction: Life on Earth Nearly Wiped Out During the “Great Dying Event”
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Joshua Rupp Learn is an award-winning science writer based in Washington, D.C. A native of Alberta, he has contributed to numerous science publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist, and Hakai.
