Erpetonyx

Er-pe-ton-iks.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Erpetonyx Er-pe-ton-iks.

Phonetic

Er-pe-ton-iks.

Named By

S.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Modesto,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Scott,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬MacDougall,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬-D.‭ ‬Sues,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Evans‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Reisz‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Procolophonomorpha.

Diet

Insectivore‭?

Species

E.‭ ‬arsenaultorum‭

Size

Roughly about ‭20-25 ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Canada,‭ ‬Prince Edward Island.

Time Period

Gzhelian of the Carboniferous.

Fossil representation

Almost complete individual.

In Depth

       Though only a small animal,‭ ‬as of‭ ‬2015‭ ‬Erpetonyx is the earliest known appearance of a parareptile.‭ ‬This is an important discovery as it helps to fill a gap in our understanding of the evolution of reptiles.‭ ‬The original describers have also speculated that Erpetonyx is a possible bolosaurid.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The oldest parareptile and the early diversification of reptiles.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the Royal Society B:‭ ‬Biological Sciences‭ ‬282‭ (‬1801‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬S.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Modesto,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Scott,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬MacDougall,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬-D.‭ ‬Sues,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Evans‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Reisz‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

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