#ctenospondylus

[fossilized-starlight]

Ctenospondylus 🌅

[almondrootwc]

the creatures

poorly designed ctenospondylus/sphenacodon gibby with a wayne diplocaulus and an inostrancevia

permian lovelies

[daily-mspaint-paleoart]

03/08/2025 Ctenospondylus

[apsaravis]

Ctenospondylus, quick sketch colored in Photoshop to test some brushes (https://www.deviantart.com/88grzes/art/My-Brushes-505743662) ^_^

[alphynix]

Weird Backs Month #09 -- Ctenospondylus

Ctenospondylus is known from the Early Permian (~290-280 mya) of Utah, Ohio, and Texas in the USA. It was a relatively large sphenacodont, growing to around 3m in length (9′10″), and much like the biggest species of Dimetrodon it was probably one of the apex predators of the time.

Although only known from fragmentary remains, it seems to have looked somewhat like a Dimetrodon with only “half a sail”, its vertebrae not quite growing to the same elaborate lengths. Its spines were much wider and more blade-like than its close relative’s, however.

I’ve given this reconstruction a highly speculative partial “spine-sail” similar to yesterday’s Dimetrodon -- although it’s unlikely to have actually looked this way. But it gives it an appropriately comb-like appearance, which is at least an amusing visual pun.

[raygathex]

Ctenospondylus is yet another Early Permian predator, that shared its world with Ophiacodon and Dimetrodon. It had a back spine but it was much shorter than the Dimetrodons and its head was very large and most likely had a very powerful bite.