First, the dimetrodon was not a dinosaur. It went extinct some 40 million years before the first dinosaurs came into being, so it wasn’t even a contemporary of dinosaurs. However, it is often mistaken as a type of dinosaur, probably because life that long ago is all jumbled up in people’s minds.
Having said that, the dimetrodon lived around 295-272 million years ago. Its most prominent feature was a large neural spine sail on its back, formed by elongated spines extending from the vertebrae. Without the spine, it resembled a lizard, as it walked on 4 legs and had a tail. Its tall, curved skull had teeth of different sizes in the jaws. Most dimetrodon fossils have been found in southwestern United States, specifically from a deposit called the Red Beds of Texas and Oklahoma. However, there have been some fossils found in Germany. There are over a dozen species within the dimetrodon genus.
Although reptile-like in appearance, the dimetrodon is more closely related to mammals than to modern reptiles, although it is not a direct ancestor of mammals. It is assigned to the group ‘synapsids’, a group traditionally called ‘mammal-like reptiles’.
It was probably one of the apex predators of its time, feeding on fish, reptiles and amphibians. Smaller dimetrodon species may have had different roles in their ecological niche. The back sail may have been used to stabilize its spine or to heat and cool its body. Some recent studies argue that the sail would have been ineffective at removing heat, as large species have been discovered with small sails, and small species having large sails. This would appear to rule out heat regulation as its main purpose. It is proposed that the sail was most likely used in a courtship display, such as threatening rivals or showing off to potential mates.
Most species of dimetrodon range from 6 to 15 ft, and are estimated to have weighed between 60 to 550 lbs. The largest known species is about 13 ft. The smallest is 2 feet.
I remember seeing sail-backed giant lizards in a few movies. Always, they were supposed to be at least as tall as a man at their shoulder. Something that could easily eat a man without giving it much thought. This article only gave their length, not their height at their shoulder, so I can’t tell how much the movies may have ‘blown up’ their size. Considering they were most likely using a modern lizard with an fx sail glued to their back, the film crew probably got very close to make them look a threatening size.
How about you? Seen any good dimetrodon movies lately?
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