Edaphosaurus (Greek for "ground lizard"); pronounced eh-DAFF-oh-SORE-us
Habitat:
Swamps of North America and Western Europe
Historical Period:
Late Carboniferous-Early Permian (310-280 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
Up to 6 feet long and 100-200 pounds
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long, narrow body; large sail on back
About Edaphosaurus:
At first glance, Edaphosaurus looks a lot like its close relative, Dimetrodon: both of these ancient pelycosaurs (a family of reptiles that preceded the dinosaurs) had large sails running down their backs, which helped to maintain their body temperatures (by radiating away excess heat or warming them up in the sun) and were probably also used to signal the opposite sex.
Oddly enough, though, the evidence points to the late Carboniferous Edaphosaurus having been a herbivore and Dimetrodon a carnivore--which has led some experts (and TV producers) to speculate that Dimetrodon regularly had big, heaping portions of Edaphosaurus for lunch! (To be fair, some paleontologists believe Edaphosaurus specialized not in plants, but in small, shelled mollusks--which it could easily have cracked with its short, blunt jaws.)
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