Dimetrodon
Dimetrodon grandis
Pronounced:
die - Met - tro - don
Diet:
Carnivore (meat-eater)
Name Means:
"two measures tooth"
Length:
12 feet (3.6 m)
Height:
6.5 feet (2.1 m)
Weight:
550 pounds (260 kilos)
Time:
Late Permian - 270 mya
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in
North America
Dimetrodon is commonly mistaken for a dinosaur, but it was in fact
NOT a dinosaur at all. It was one of a number of animals known as
Mammal-Like Reptiles that dominated the late Permian period. It was a
large meat-eater that lived primarily in swampy areas and had a very
interesting feature - a large sail on its back. Dimetrodon disappeared
at the beginning of the Triassic Period.
Unlike other pelycosaurs that did
not have fins, Dimetrodon was able
it to warm up in the morning and
cool off more efficiently during the
heat of the day due to its sail.
This method of controlling its body
temperature, along with its large
and powerful jaws, gave this
predator a distinct advantage over
the other large carnivores, making
it the dominant land predator. In
fact, its ability to warm up faster
would have enabled it to catch and
eat the slower, non-finned
Mammal-Like Reptiles.
Dimetrodon is easily
distinguished from dinosaurs as its
legs were positioned on the side of
its body while dinosaurs had their
legs under their bodies. Even with
this body structure, it was probably
a very fast runner. It had a large
head with very strong jaws and two
types of teeth -sharp fang-like
teeth for ripping and tearing in the
front and smaller cheek teeth in the
back that were designed for
shredding the meat. |
