Deviation Actions
Description
Part 2 of 'Beasts of Bygone Times' - a celebration of prehistoric life.
Many of the most famous creatures of the past are reptiles (particularly dinosaurs), yet little attention is given to their relatives: the amphibians. Hopefully, this deviation will get more people interested in this largely overlooked group of vertebrates.
Top left: Archegosaurus - A genus consisting of two species, which lived in Germany during the Late Permian. Most of the fossil remains consist of skulls.
Top right: Eryops - A resident of the southern USA during the Lower Permian, it was one of the largest land animals of its time, and had few enemies. It was better suited to living on land than other amphibians, and had an enormous mouth full of sharp teeth. Since terrestrial insects were abundant during its time, they probably formed a large part of its diet.
Middle left: Diplocaulus - These bizarre amphibians formed a genus of several species, which inhabited North America during the Permian. The function of their boomerang-shaped heads remains uncertain, but it's possible that these assisted with swimming, or were a deterrent to predators - these creatures were not easy to swallow.
Middle right: Gerrothorax - An unusually flat species which lived in various parts of Europe during the Triassic Period. Its fossils have revealed that it possessed gills, which it kept throughout its adult life - a feature we still see today in some salamanders.
Bottom left: Crassigyrinus - An aquatic predator which lived in Scotland during the Early Carboniferous. It had tiny limbs, but big eyes and a huge mouth with a double row of teeth, and ate pretty much any animal it could catch.
Bottom right: Trematosaurus - Another aquatic hunter consisting of two species. Both lived during the Triassic Period - one was found in Germany, and the other in Russia.
Artwork is © me.
If there are any prehistoric animals you would like to see in 'Beasts of Bygone Times', please let me know!
