Archaeothyris; pronounced ARE-kay-oh-THIGH-riss
Habitat:
Swamps of North America
Historical Period:
Late Carboniferous (305 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 1-2 feet long and a few pounds
Diet:
Probably carnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; powerful jaws with sharp teeth
About Archaeothyris:
To the modern eye, Archaeothyris looks like pretty much any other small, scurrying lizard, but this reptile has an important place in the evolutionary family tree: it's the first known synapsid, a family of reptiles characterized by the unique openings in their skulls.
As such, this late Carboniferous creature is believed to have been ancestral to all subsequent pelycosaurs and therapsids, not to mention the early mammals that evolved from therapsids during the Triassic period.
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