#diadectes

[t00thpasteface]

Permian fossils & models in the Hall of Paleontology @ HMNS

[rebeccathenaturalist]

So the last book I read gave me a great review of the evolutionary history of tetrapods. One particular group of tetrapods that may or may not have represented the earliest amniotes (animals with more advanced egg membranes) were the Diadectomorpha.

Now, keep in mind that these were really primitive creatures in the lineage that eventually led to mammals. If you look at the skeleton of a Diadectes, for example, you'll notice that the spine has lumbar ribs, which suggests that it likely hadn't yet evolved a diaphragm, which helps with breathing when moving at high speeds.

But wait--what is that SKULL?

This is the most cartoonish skull I have ever seen! I mean, the poor guy looks like T. rex's dorky, uncool cousin.

Look, I know Diadectes lived before amniotes began to evolve fenestrae (holes) in their skulls to make great places to anchor tendons and muscles for stronger and wider bites. I still wouldn't want to get bitten by this critter, but the first thing I legitimately thought of when I first saw this photo was...

So from now on whenever I picture a life restoration of Diadectes in my head, this is what I'm going to see in my head:

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

Result from the Bromacker #Paleostream

It's been a while since we were able to put nearly all animals onto a formation piece!

It was a joy to put this one together because it felt a little like coming home. #Paleostream has a long history with this locality.

I already made this size chart years ago but parts of it were kind of eye balled back then and so I put together a second version

[dromaeosaurid]

"A sail-backed Dimetrodon splashes after three Diadectes, while a 60-cms (2-ft) long amphibian, Seymouria, remains atop a fallen log. Attaining lengths of 3 m (10 ft), Diadectes was a reptile-like amphibian that made up much of the pelycosaurs' diet."

From Dinosaurs: A Global View (1990) by Sylvia J. Czerkas & Stephen A. Czerkas. Illustrated by Douglas Henderson, Mark Hallett, John Sibbick.

[mesozoicmarket]

A rooted fossilized tooth with restoration on the crown of a Diadectes sp. from the Wellington Formation in Waurika, Jefferson County, Oklahoma, United States. These reptile-like diadectids were some of the earliest herbivorous tetrapods on land.

[angusmcquadeprojects]

I am proud to announce that a second wave of Dinometal T-Shirt designs are currently in the works and are looking for a release sometime in June or July this year! To hold everyone over, you can purchase stickers of these characters busts over on my Redbubble store. As a group or individually! Due to file size limitations, only the Group will be available on my Teepublic store.

Introducing Dinometal's Rival band..... Fossil Ferocity!

Redbubble Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/mr-amp/ Teepublic Store: https://www.teepublic.com/user/angusmcquadeprojects

[alphynix]

A group of early tetrapods known as diadectids were some of the first land animals to become specialized herbivores, developing adaptations for the bulk processing of tough fibrous vegetation. They had powerful jaws, chisel-like front teeth, and grinding cheek teeth, and they grew to relatively large sizes for their time with bulky bodies supporting voluminous plant-fermenting guts.

Although usually considered to be reptilomorphs – “amphibian-grade” animals more closely related to amniotes than to modern amphibians – some studies have instead placed these early plant-eaters as being true amniotes related to the synapsids. Fossil trackways show they may have had amniote-like claws on their feet, and that their highly flexible lizard-like ankle joints allowed them to walk much more efficiently than other early tetrapods, possibly using a semi-upright gait, but these may be convergently evolved features. Since we don’t know whether they laid amniote-like eggs or if they instead spawned amphibian-style in water, it’s currently hard to tell for certain just what they really were.

Diasparactus zenos (sometimes alternately known as Diadectes zenos) was a diadectid that lived during the early Permian in New Mexico, USA, about 296 million years ago. Around 1.3m long (4’3”), it was only about half the size of its largest relatives, but it’s notable for having unusually high neural spines on its vertebrae – not quite long enough to be considered a sail, but more of a “high back” that may have supported powerful musculature or fatty deposits.

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[velozee]

Bromacker Contest Submission #3

DREAMS ON THE HIGH PLATEAU

Thuringian Forest Basin - Early Permian

In the shadows of ferns and giant horsetails, primitve lifeforms dream away.

How does sleep look like in prehistoric times? Will they sleep in pairs like this Diadectes sideropelicus or just piled up like the Orobates pabsti? Surely sleeping with fellows provides not only comfort but a certain level of protection from the roaming predators. Meanwhile the varanoid Tambacarnifex unguifalcatus caught one unlucky fellow that slept solo: the amphibian Rotaryus gothae.

While the giants are sleeping, the dwarves get buissy. Long bodied Tambaroter carrolli crawl out their tunnels and all over the sleeping diadectid tetrapods. Like what you see? Leave a tip :)