Paleothyris
Paleothyris was a small, agile, anapsid reptile which lived in the Pennsylvanian epoch in Nova Scotia (about 312 to 304 million years ago).
| Paleothyris Temporal range: Pennsylvanian
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| Paleothyris (details not accurate) | |
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| Genus: | Paleothyris Carroll, 1969
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Paleothyris had sharp teeth and large eyes: it was a nocturnal hunter. It was about a foot long. It probably fed on insects and other smaller animals found on the floor of its forest home.
Paleothyris was an early sauropsid, yet it still had some features that were more labyrinthodont-like than reptile-like. Its skull lacked fenestrae, holes found in the skulls of most reptiles and mammals.
Paleothyris Media
Paleothyris acadiana is one of the oldest known reptiles.[1] It measured about 25-30 cm. (10 inch) long, of which the skull made up 3 cm. (1.5 inch). This restoration is an updated version of a drawing I originally uploaded in 2009. It is based on information and images from [1], [2] and
Skull reconstruction of Paleothyris acadiana, an early reptile from the Middle Pennsylvanian of Nova Scotia. After Carroll (1969).[1] Meaning of abbreviations: an = angular, d = dentary, f = frontal, j = jugal, l = lacrimal, m = maxilla, n = nasal, p = parietal, pm = premaxilla, po = postorbital, pof = postfrontal, prf = prefrontal, qj = quadratojugal, sa = surangular, sq = squamosal, st = supratemporal.
Related pages
- Pederpes, an early Mississippian tetrapod, 359–345 million years ago (mya).
- Westlothiana, from 350mya, either an early amniote or a sister group to the amniotes
- Casineria, from 340 mya, a basal amniote.
- Protoclepsydrops, from the middle Pennsylvanian, 314 mya, probable earliest synapsid
- Hylonomus, from 312 mya, another early anapsid sauropsid
- Archaeothyris, from 306 mya, an early synapsid
- Petrolacosaurus, from 302 mya, the first diapsid sauropsid