Archaeothyris
| Archaeothyris Fossil range: mid Late Carboniferous |
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 Life restoration of Archaeothyris
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| Archaeothyris florensis Reisz, 1972 |
Archaeothyris was an amniote, which lived 320 million years ago, in the Middle Carboniferous Period. It is one of the oldest synapsids known. It was found in Nova Scotia, the same locality as Hylonomus, Petrolacosaurus, which they resemble, and many other early sauropsids. Unlike the Hylonomus and its kin, Archaeothyris was larger (50 cm, head to tail) and may have also eaten them. Also, Archaeothyris was more advanced than the early sauropsids, its jaws were strong, and the jaws could open wider than the early reptiles.
Systematics
Archaeothyris belonged to the family Ophiacodontidae, a group of early pelycosaurs that evolved early in the Late Carboniferous. Archaeothyris is the precursor of all synapsids including mammals.
Lifestyle
Archaeothyris lived in Nova Scotia, 320 million years ago. Nova Scotia at this time was a swamp, similar to that to today's Everglades in Florida. The trees were very tall, some up to 165 feet tall. Archaeothyris and the other early amniotes dwelled on the forest ground. Archaeothyris, like many other early amniotes, probably fell to a pit of a tree stump leaving Archaeothyris starving to death.
See also
References
External links
- Transitional Vertebrate Fossils - includes description of important transitional genera from reptile to mammal (includes a little information about Archaeothyris)
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