Dimetrodon

E686180

Dimetrodon is an extinct sail-backed synapsid from the Early Permian period, often mistaken for a dinosaur but more closely related to mammals.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf extinct animal
sail-backed tetrapod
synapsid
belongsToClade non-mammalian synapsids
pelycosaurs
bodyLength about 15 feet
up to about 4.6 meters
class Synapsida NERFINISHED
describedBy Edward Drinker Cope NERFINISHED
diet carnivorous
extinctionStatus extinct
family Sphenacodontidae NERFINISHED
firstAppearance Early Permian
fossilsFoundIn Europe NERFINISHED
Germany NERFINISHED
North America NERFINISHED
Oklahoma NERFINISHED
Texas NERFINISHED
geologicalFormation Red Beds of Texas and Oklahoma NERFINISHED
hasAnatomicalFeature elongated neural spines
large skull
neural spine sail
sharp teeth
hasNotableSpecies Dimetrodon grandis NERFINISHED
Dimetrodon milleri NERFINISHED
Dimetrodon natalis NERFINISHED
isNot dinosaur
isOftenMistakenFor dinosaur
kingdom Animalia
livedApproximately 272 million years ago
295 million years ago
livedIn terrestrial environments
locomotion quadrupedal
moreCloselyRelatedTo mammals
order Sphenacodontia NERFINISHED
phylum Chordata
preysOn smaller vertebrates
reproduction oviparous
sailFunctionHypothesis display
species recognition
thermoregulation
skullType synapsid skull with single temporal fenestra
subgroupOf Sphenacodontinae NERFINISHED
taxonRank genus
temporalRangeStart Cisuralian NERFINISHED
timePeriod Permian NERFINISHED
trophicLevel apex predator
typeSpecies Dimetrodon limbatus NERFINISHED
yearDescribed 1878

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Dinosaur Park hasSculpture Dimetrodon