Euparkeria

Taxobox
name = "Euparkeria"


fossil_range = Early Triassic

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image_width = 250px
image_caption = life restoration of "Euparkeria capensis"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
infraclassis = Archosauromorpha
unranked_ordo = Archosauriformes
familia = Euparkeriidae
genus = "Euparkeria"
binomial = "Euparkeria capensis"
binomial_authority = Broom, 1913a

"Euparkeria" (IPA|/juˈpɑː(r)k.ə.riː.ə/), meaning "Parker's good animal", named in honor of W.K. Parker, was a small African reptile of the early Triassic period between 248-245 million years ago, close to the ancestry of the archosaurs. It had a light, lean body, long tail, and a small skull with tiny, needle-like teeth. It fed on insects and any other small animals that it could find on the forest floor, and would periodically shed its teeth in order to keep them sharp.

"Euparkeria" was one of the smaller reptiles of its time, with the adults reaching the size of a large lizard (55 cm.). It lived in a world with many predators, so it had to be quick on its feet. It walked on four legs for most of the time, but if a quick getaway was needed, it could rise on to its hind legs and run at a very high speed. As far as is known this technique was unique to "Euparkeria" at that time, and would have given it a great advantage. Some people even think that it could have run fast enough to skip lightly across the water surface of small ponds and lakes, just like the present-day basilisk lizard. The only other means of defence that "Euparkeria" possessed was a sharp claw on its thumb, which could have been used as a weapon in close combat.

The first fossils were found in South Africa in 1913, but better specimens were found in 1924. The matter is further confused because there is a gap of 10 million years before "Euparkeria" and the first fossilized dinosaurs, such as "Eoraptor". It was 22 inches long and weighed 20 lbs. It was a carnivore and was not a dinosaur. "Euparkeria" had relatively long hind legs, and may have been semi-bipedal, able to move using only its hind legs when running quickly (Caroll, 1988). This tendency towards bipedal locomotion makes "Euparkeria" one of the earliest reptiles to walk on two legs, a feature that would be retained in some dinosaurs and early Crurotarsi.

Popular culture

"Euparkeria" was featured in the BBC television program "Walking With Monsters", incorrectly identifying it as the ancestor of all dinosaurs. "Euparkeria" was not the true ancestor of dinosaurs; however, it was closely related to the dinosauromorphs and "Saltoposuchus", a possible ancestor of the dinosaurs.

References

Haines, Tim, and Paul Chambers: The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life. Pg. 62. Canada: Firefly Books Ltd., 2006.

External links

* [http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/euparkeria.html More information]