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Key Information

Dimetrodon

Species Possibly 20
Diet Carnivore
Weight 31 to 550 lb
Length 6 to 15 ft
Timescale Cisuralian to Guadalupian
Classification Synapsida > Sphenacodontidae
Similar Species Cryptovenator, Ctenospondylus, Sphenacodon

Learning Point

  • The Dimetrodon was not a dinosaur, living a long time before dinosaurs existed, but was of a group of animals that had many features of mammals. It is famous for its sail, which may have had many different uses for the animal.

Project

  • Draw a picture of Dimetrodon.
  • Overview
  • X-Ray
Dimetrodon
Max Bellomio, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dimetrodon Skeleton
Smokeybjb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Location

Confirmed North America

Fun Facts

  • The name Dimetrodon means “two sets of tooth” in Greek and is referring to the different sets of small and large teeth.
  • The sails may have varied between males and females.
  • The tail was long and slender, but in the first fossils were found it is often shown to be shorter as early fossils weren’t found with their complete tails.
  • They lived millions of years before the earliest dinosaurs.

Past Lessons

121 November 13, 2023 (North America)
No Past Lessons

Upcoming Lessons

No Upcoming Lessons