World of Dinosaurs/Animals to Know/Dimetrodon

thumb Basics Dimetrodon means "Two Measures of Teeth". It gained this name because it has teeth of varying sizes. It lived during the Permian Period. Anatomy Dimetrodon is a four-legged egg-laying animal that lived before the time of dinosaurs. They are most famous for their sail that is made out of spines extending from the vertebrae. center|thumb|472x472px|Note that the sail is supported by bone spines. Phylogeny Dimetrodons are synapsids. This means they are more closely related to mammals than any living reptile. Biomechanics Dimetrodons probably used their sails to regulate their temperature. Fossil Record Fossils are found in Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. It is also found in Germany. Ecology Dimetrodon lived near aquatic environments where fish would have thrived. Biogeography Dimetrodon probably inhabited areas surrounding deltas.