Ophiacodon

Ophiacodon Temporal range: Late Carboniferous–Early Permian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Ophiacodon mirus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Superclass:	Tetrapoda
Class:	Synapsida
Order:	Pelycosauria
(unranked):	Eupelycosauria
Family:	Ophiacodontidae
Genus:	Ophiacodon Marsh, 1878
Species
Ophiacodon grandis Ophiacodon hilli Ophiacodon major Ophiacodon mirus Ophiacodon navajovicus Ophiacodon retroversus Ophiacodon uniformis

Ophiacodon (meaning "snake tooth") was a large pelycosaur. Its fossils were found in Joggins, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Ophiacodon was at least two meters in length, and the largest species were up to 3.6 metres (12 ft). It is estimated to have weighed from 30 to 50 kilograms (66 to 110 lb). The size of the various species increased during the Early Permian epoch until its extinction.^[1] It was a specialized member of the ophiacodontid family.

The skull was deep, with long jaws, and provided with sharp teeth. Ophiacodon may have eaten fishes in streams and ponds^[1], although the high narrow skull would seem to argue against such a lifestyle.

Ophiacodon is related to other animals in the family Ophiacodontidae, such as Archaeothyris. Relatives of the Ophiacodontidae seem to be ancestral to the therapsids, which gave rise to mammals.^[2]

Ophiacodon was featured in the Paleoworld episode titled "Tail Of A Sail".

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  Ophiacodon retroversus

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  O. retroversus fossil

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See also

• List of synapsids
• Permian tetrapods
• Evolution of mammals

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Palmer, D., ed (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 186. ISBN 1-84028-152-9. 
2. ^ Maddin, H.C., Evans, D.C., Reisz, R.R. (2006). "An Early Permian Varanodontine Varanopid (Synapsida:Eupelycosauria) from the Richards Spur Locality, Oklahoma." J Vertebrate Paleontology, 26(4): 957-966.