Ophiacodon
Ophiacodon | |
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Skeleton of O. mirus in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Family: | †Ophiacodontidae |
Genus: | †Ophiacodon Marsh, 1878 |
Type species | |
†Ophiacodon mirus Marsh, 1878
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Other species | |
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Synonyms | |
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Ophiacodon (meaning "snake tooth") is an
Description
Ophiacodon has a large skull with a deep snout. It has the longest skull of any early synapsid, reaching up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in one specimen.[3] The jaws are lined with many small teeth. It was larger than most other tetrapods (four-limbed vertebrates) of its time, ranging from 1.6 to 3 metres (5.2 to 9.8 ft) in length and 26 to 230 kilograms (57 to 507 lb) in weight.[1]
Specimens of Ophiacodon vary greatly in size. These differences in size were once used to distinguish species, but are now recognized as
Range
Remains of Ophiacodon have been found in North America and Europe.
- England: Kenilworth - Cisuralian[6]
- France: Lower Permian of Autun
- Canada:
- United States:
- Arizona: Cutler Formation - Cisuralian
- Colorado: Cutler Formation - Cisuralian
- Kansas: Fort Riley, Chase Group - Cisuralian
- New Mexico: Cutler Formation - Cisuralian
- Oklahoma: Ada Formation - Pennsylvanian, Clyde Formation, Wellington Formation - Cisuralian
- Texas: Admiral Formation, Belle Plains Formation, Clyde Formation, Wichita Group - Cisuralian
- Utah: Cutler Formation - Cisuralian
Paleobiology
Ophiacodon most likely lived on land, but paleontologists have sometimes thought that it was semi-aquatic. An aquatic habitat for Ophiacodon was first proposed by paleontologist
Skeletons of Ophiacodon show a fast growth pattern called fibrolamellar bone (FLB), suggesting at least partial warm-bloodedness. The FLB pattern is also found in birds and mammals.[10]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-94-007-6840-6.
- .
- ^ Valkenburgh, B. van & Jenkins, I. (2002). "Evolutionary patterns in the history of Permo-Triassic and Cenozoic synapsid predators" (PDF). In Kowalewski, M. & Kelley, P.H. (eds.). The Fossil Record of Predation. Vol. 8. Paleontological Society Special Publications. pp. 267–289. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013.
- .
- ^ Shelton, C.D. (2013). "Ophiacodon long bone histology: supporting the Brinkman hypothesis". Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. 45 (3): 68.
- ^ Unterpermische Pelycosaurier aus den englischen Midlands Archived 2013-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ John J. Stephens, Ophiacodon aus Ohio
- .
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- ^ "Ancestry of mammalian 'warm-bloodedness' revealed". www.sciencedaily.com. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.