Edaphosaurus
Edaphosaurus was a pelycosaur (early Synapsida) that lived during the later Carboniferous and early Permian. It was a herbivorous relative of the well-known Dimetrodon. Both had a large, thermal regulating sail on the back. Fossils of Edaphosaurus have been found in Europe and North America.
| Edaphosaurus Temporal range: Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian, 300–280 mya
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| Genus: | Edaphosaurus |
Edaphosaurus species measured from 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) to almost 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) in length and weighed over 300 kilograms (660 lb).[1] It was slightly taller and stockier than Dimetrodon, but like its pelycosaur relatives had a small head and a long tail.
Skull
The head of Edaphosaurus was rather small for its body size. The deep lower jaw likely had powerful muscles and the teeth along the front and sides of its jaws could crop bite-sized pieces from tough plants.
The roof of the mouth and the inside of the lower jaw had batteries of peglike teeth. They were a crushing and grinding surface. Early descriptions suggested that Edaphosaurus fed on molluscs, which it crushed with its teeth plates. However, paleontologists now think that Edaphosaurus ate plants. Lack of wear on the teeth suggests "limited processing of food".[2] Earlier members of the Edaphosauridae lacked tooth plates, and ate insects.
Edaphosaurus Media
Edaphosaurus pogonias
Size comparison of some species of Edaphosaurus.
Skull of Edaphosaurus showing the tooth plates on the palate and on the inside of the lower jaw
Skeleton of Edaphosaurus
Edaphosaurus boanerges
Edaphosaurus-cruciger jconway
Edaphosaurus novomexicanus
This just might be a depiction of Edaphosaurus pogonias, to make a guess from the title. If you know more about this image, please place a good description here.
E. pogonias mount at the Field Museum
References
- ↑ "Edaphosaurus". Palaeos. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ↑ Reisz R.R. 2006. (2006). "Origin of dental occlusion in tetrapods: signal for terrestrial vertebrate evolution?". Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B. 306B (3): 261–277. doi:10.1002/jez.b.21115. PMID 16683226.