dimetrodon
an extinct carnivorous mammallike reptile, of the genus Dimetrodon, dominant in North America during the Permian Period, up to 10 feet (3.1 meters long and usually bearing spinal sails.
Origin of dimetrodon
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How to use dimetrodon in a sentence
The adductor musculature of the lower jaw in dimetrodon was divided into lateral and medial groups (Figs. 5, 6).
The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles | Richard C. FoxThrinaxodon represents an advance beyond dimetrodon in several respects.
The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles | Richard C. FoxA similar origin suggests itself for the corresponding muscle, the second major adductor mass, in dimetrodon.
The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles | Richard C. FoxThe dentition of dimetrodon further substantiates the movement of the jaw in a simple up and down direction.
The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles | Richard C. FoxWatson believed that the jaw of dimetrodon was capable of anteroposterior sliding.
The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles | Richard C. Fox
Scientific definitions for dimetrodon
[ dī-mĕt′rə-dŏn′ ]
An extinct, carnivorous reptile of the genus Dimetrodon of the Permian Period having a body similar to an alligator's but with a tall, curved sail on its back. The sail had a thick network of blood vessels and may have been used to regulate the animal's body temperature. The dimetrodon belonged to the synapsids, an early group of reptiles that was ancestral to mammals.
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