The Edaphosaurus was a large herbivorous synapsid that lived during the end of the Pennsylvanian period and into the Permian period. Like the Dimetrodon, the Edaphosaurus had a large back sail, likely for thermoregulation and social display. The species in the Edaphosaurus genus could grow anywhere between 1.6- 11.5 feet in length, but each had a round body, stocky legs, and a small head.
Though often confused for a dinosaur, the Dimetrodon predates the first dinosaurs by 10 million years. Better yet, the Dimetrodon was a synapsid, which was a group of animals that would eventually evolve into mammals. One of the Dimetrodon’s most striking features was the large sail on its back supported by long vertebral spines. The sail was likely used for thermoregulation and social display (I.e. attracting mates and species identification) and was likely brightly colored with distinct patterns.
Dimetrodons were the apex predators of their time and utilized an ambush hunting style. The name “Dimetrodon” means “two kinds of teeth” because it was one of the first animals to evolve two different types of teeth; its larger, sharper front teeth caught its prey while the side teeth were better suited for shearing off bite-sized pieces of meat.
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