DIMETRODON
One of the best known prehistoric animals,DIMETRODON
was not a dinosaur, but a pelycosaur , and lived millions
of years before the dinosaurs appeared in the Permian Periodwhich
was during the Paleozoic Era. Its legs were sprawled
at its sides like a lizard, not underneath the body like the
dinosaurs. On its back was a large sail supported by long
spines growing from the vertebrae. A large carnivore, it was
probably at the top of the food chain during its life on the
young earth. It had large, strong jaws with two types of teeth
(Dimetrodon means "two-measures tooth"), and was probably
more closely related to mammals than to the dinosaurs.
|
|
STATS
|
| ORDER |
Pelycosauria |
| DIET |
Carnivorous |
| SIZE |
6-11 feet long, 500
lbs. |
| PERIOD |
Paleozoic Era, Permian
Period |
| RANGE |
North America |
|
|
|
BACK
Copyright ©2000 Neil Riehle
|
