EARLY TETRAPODS
The tetrapods (meaning 'four feet') includes all living vertebrates with four limbs and distinct digits, or animals whose ancestors conformed to this standard pattern.
ACANTHOSTEGASCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 1 m long DIET: Insects and fish HABITAT: Lakes and ponds DESTINATION FOUND: Greenland TIME: Late Devonian period
This creature had many fish like features such as a tail fin, gill bones and paddle like hand limbs, however they were different to fish as they had 8 fingers and 2 distinct wrists. The skull of Acanthostega was streamlined in shape which made it a great tool for grabbing fish. |
ICHTHYOSTEGASCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 1.5 m long DIET: Insects and fish HABITAT: Lakes and ponds DESTINATION FOUND: Greenland TIME: Late Devonian period
This creature also had many fish like features. It spent most of its time in the water because its limbs couldn't support its body weight on land. It is closely related to the Acanthostega. |
TEMNOSPONDYLS
These creatures were a large and diverse group of aquatic, amphibious and terrestrial animals. Most early temnospondyls were aquatic, salamander-like predators, however some were land living predators with stout limbs, short bodies with eyes on the sides of their heads.
MASTODON LIZARDSCIENTIFIC NAME: Mastodonsaurus SIZE: 2 m long DIET: Fish and other temnospondyls HABITAT: Lakes, ponds and swamps DESTINATION FOUND: Europe, North Africa TIME: Triassic period
This large lizard-like creature had a short, massive body, stout limbs, a short tail, a long jaw and a powerful skull. Two large triangular tusks pointed up from near the tip of its lower jaw. Notches in the back of its skull captured vibrations, allowing Mastodon to hear. |
LONG FACE
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eryops SIZE:
2m (7ft) long DIET:
Fish and amphibious tetrapods HABITAT: Lakes and swamps DESTINATION
FOUND: North America TIME: Late carboniferous to Permian periods
Their long flattened skulls contained numerous sharp teeth. Eyes and nostrils were located at the top of their heads so they could camouflage themselves beneath the water’s surface while stalking prey. Eryops climbed onto fallen tree trunks or crawled onto land to bask in the sun. |
LEPOSPONDYLS
AND LISSAMPHIBIANS
These
creatures were a group of tetrapods that lived during the carboniferous and
Permian periods, they thrived in warm, humid environments. While some were
well-adapted for life on the land, others were only aquatic.
DIPLOCAULUS
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TRIADOBATRACHUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 10 cm long DIET: Insects HABITAT: Lakes, rivers and streams DESTINATION FOUND: Madagascar TIME: Early Triassic period
Since their first appearance, lissamphibians have evolved into a variety of forms. Frogs are bizarre lissamphibians with reduce skeletons. They lack ribs and a tail, have only a few vertebrae and have a pelvis reduced to a v-shaped structure. |
REPTILIOMORPHS
The reptiliomorphs (meaning 'reptile forms') includes amniotes and their ancestors. Though some specialised reptiliomorphs were amphibious or aquatic, generally over time their skeletons became steadily better suited to carrying weight on land. While some laid their eggs on land, others produced aquatic larvae.
DIADECTESSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 3m long DIET: (Herbivore) Ferns, mosses, other plants HABITAT: Scrubland DESTINATION FOUND: Europe, North America TIME: Early Permioan period
These creatures had massive limb girdles and short, strong limbs to support their body weight on land. The shape of their teeth shows that they were herbivores, and thus the very first land vertebrates to evolve a plant eating lifestyle |
CRASSIGYRINUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 2m long DIET: Fish and other vertebrates HABITAT: Lakes, rivers and streams DESTINATION FOUND: Scotland TIME: Early Carboniferous period
Crassigyrinus was about 2 meters long, with a massive, blunt head and tiny limbs. It was an effective aquatic predator, due to its primitive features. A prominent notch in the back of its skull may have been used as a spiracle, a remnant of the gill slits seen in fish. |
AMNIOTES
In the late Carboniferous, a group of animals appeared that would come to dominate life on the land. Descending form the reptiliomorphs, these were the first creatures to protect their embryos within a sealed structure called the amniotic sack. The evolution of amniotic eggs was a key development which allowed tetrapods to conquer the land; they could now move into environments well away from water.
FOREST MOUSESCIENTIFIC NAME: Hylonomus SIZE: 20 cm long DIET: Millipedes and other arthropods HABITAT: Tropical forest floors DESTINATION FOUND: Canada TIME: Late Carboniferous period
Powerful jaw muscles, a stout skull and sharp pointed teeth made it suitable for biting and crushing small arthropods. |
PARAREPTILES
A group of unusual reptiles that include small lizard-like forms as well as larger animals. Unlike most other reptiles, Parareptiles lacked holes called fenestrae at the back of their skulls. These fenestrae helped to lighten the skulls in more advanced reptiles such as the dinosaurs and crocodiles.
SHIELD LIZARDSCIENTIFIC NAME: Scutosaurus SIZE: 2.5 m long DIET: Ferns, horsetails, other plants HABITAT: Marshes and flood plains DESTINATION FOUND: Eastern Europe TIME: Late Permian period
A heavily built Parareptile, with a massive rounded body covered in plates, bony spikes and horns. Teeth were suited for grinding and biting through foliage. |
TURTLES
Turtles are unique reptiles that first appeared in the Triassic as small amphibious omnivores. During the Mesozoic, they developed into land-dwelling herbivores, freshwater omnivores and predators and then into giant marine creatures. Today, they flourish with more than 250 species.
ARCHELONSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 4 m long DIET: Jellyfish, aquatic life HABITAT: Warm, shallow seas DESTINATION FOUND: North America TIME: Late Crusteceous period
Archelon's similarities to modern leatherback turtles suggests that its shell was covered in thick skin, rather than amour plates |
DIAPSIDS
Late in the Permian, the Diapsids underwent an extraordinary burst of evolution. Evolving from their small insect-eating ancestors, the Diapsids soon produced gliders, swimmers and diggers.
COELUROSAURAVUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 60 cm long DIET: Insects HABITAT: Open Forests DESTINATION FOUND: Madagascar and Europe TIME: Late Permain period
Each wing was supported by 22 curving, rod-like bones. Skin membranes stretched across these bony rods Claws were curved, sharp and good at grasping onto trees. Sharp, conical teeth suited for catching insects in mid flight. |
MOSASAURS
During the Cretaceous, large sea lizards dominated the shallow continental seas. The earliest Mosasaurs were amphibious predators about 1 meter in length. Later Mosasaurs grew more than 15 meters long and were among the greatest predators of the marine world.
TYLOSAURUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 11m long DIET: Turtles, fish, other Mosasaurs HABITAT: Shallow seas DESTINATION FOUND: Japan, North America TIME: Late Cretaceous period
One of the most distinctive features of a Tylosaurus was the hard, bony tip on its snout. This was used as a ramming weapon for stunning its prey. |
PLACODONTS AND NOTHOSAURS
These two groups of creatures were marine reptiles. They were restricted to the warm, shallow seas of Triassic Europe, Northern Africa and Asian, and none of them were particularly large. Nothosaurs were long-necked predators armed with numerous sharp teeth. Placodonts were armoured sauropterygians with teeth suited for crushing shellfish.
In the Early Triassic, a rise in sea levels allowed Nothosaurus to invade shallow seas, and as a result a new specialised dwarf species evolved.
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NOTHOSAURUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: Different species ranged from 1-3 m DIET: Fish HABITAT: Shallow tropical seas DESTINATION FOUND: Europe, Middle East TIME: Triassic period
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HENODUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 1 m in length DIET: Shellfish HABITAT: Lagoons, shallow tropical seas DESTINATION FOUND: Europe, Middle East TIME: Late Triassic period
In some Placodonts like Henodus, the body armour became very extensive and formed a shell resembling that of a turtles. |
SHORT-NECKED AND LONG-NECKED PLESIOSAURS
All Plesiosaurs were marine reptiles that had four wing-like flippers and many pointed teeth. They used their flippers to fly under water in a similar way to marine turtles and penguins. While many Plesiosaurs had long necks and small skulls, others were short-necked and had enormous skulls.
KRONOSAURUS (SHORT-NECK)SCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 9 m in length DIET: Marine reptiles, fish and molluscs HABITAT: Open ocean DESTINATION FOUND: Australia and South America TIME: Early Cretaceous period
Some Plesiosaurs have been found with small stones in their stomachs; these may have been used to help them grind up their food, or as a ballast to help them dive. They laid eggs in beach sand to produce offspring, similar to modern day sea turtles |
PLATE LIZARD (LONG NECK)SCIENTIFIC NAME: Elasmosaurus SIZE: 14 m in length DIET: Fish and molluscs HABITAT: Open ocean DESTINATION FOUND: North America TIME:Late Cretaceous period
Elasmosaurus had 72 vertebrae in its neck. Studies suggest that its neck was very flexible allowing it to approach a shoal of fish from behind, plunging its mouth quickly into its prey |
CROCODILIANS
Apart from birds, Crocodilians are the last survivors of the 'ruling reptiles'- the group that the dinosaurs belonged to. They evolved at the same time as the dinosaurs and for most of their history they have been large, long-bodied aquatic carnivores.
METRIORHYNCHUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 3 m in length DIET: Fish HABITAT: Seas DESTINATION FOUND: South America, Europe TIME: Mid Jurassic to Cretaceous period
Its webbed toes and fingers formed paddles for efficient swimming, and its jaws bristled with razor-sharp teeth. Metriorhynchus lacked the heavy armour typical of other crocodilians and was light and flexible because of this. |
PROTOSUCHUSSCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: 3 m in length DIET: Fish and flesh of other animals HABITAT: River beds DESTINATION FOUND: North America TIME: Early Jurassic period
Protosuchus (meaning 'first crocodile') was one of the earliest land based crocodilians. This agile hunter could run semi-upright on its long hind legs, catching and killing prey with its very powerful bite. |
EARLY AND ADVANCED PTEROSAURS
Pterosaurs were flying Archosaurs, closely related to the dinosaurs. Their wings were made of a large skin membrane that stretched from the end of its incredibly long fourth finger to its body and back legs. This wing membrane was reinforced with stiffening fibres and muscles. Most early pterosaurs were small compared to later types as none had a wingspan greater than 3 metres. The advanced types of pterosaurs, know as pterodactyloids, first evolved in the late Jurassic. These more advanced pterosaurs had a wingspan of 7 - 9 metres long.
DIMORPHODON (EARLY)SCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: Wingspan 1.2 - 2.5 m DIET: Fish, insects, small land animals HABITAT: Sea shores, riverside woodland DESTINATION FOUND: North America, Europe TIME: Early Jurassic period
Dimorphodon's were opportunistic predators who preyed on a wide variety of small animals. Their long tails were stiffened by bony rods and sharp hand claws and a fifth toe gave it the ability to climb up cliff faces. |
PTERANODON (ADVANCED)SCIENTIFIC NAME: N/A SIZE: Wingspan 7 - 9 metres DIET: Fish HABITAT: Shallow intercontinental seas DESTINATION FOUND: North America TIME: Late Cretaceous period
Pteranodon (meaning 'wings and no teeth') is one of the most famous pterosaurs. It had a large head crest and a pouch under its jaw like the modern day pelican. Males and females had different shaped head crests. Males used their crest to impress the females and intimidate other males during mating season. |