Petrolacosaurus

In Depth        Petrolacosaurus is the first diapsid known in the fossil record. The teeth are small and sharp suggesting insectivorous feeding, like the vast majority of the other small reptiles of the time. Also like many of the early diapsids, it was superficially similar to today’s small lizards.        Petrolacosaurus is very similar to another reptile … Read more

Araeoscelis

In Depth        Araeoscelis is another representative of the early diapsids. The teeth of Araeoscelis were quite large and blunter than its contemporary Petrolacosaurus, suggesting that it specialised in insects with tougher bodies.        Although officially considered a diapsid with two fenestrae behind the eye socket, the lower fensetra was closed with bone, meaning that Araeoscelis could … Read more