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Wiktionary
dimetrodon

n. A carnivorous synapsid, of the genus (taxlink Dimetrodon genus noshow=1), from the Permian period

WordNet
dimetrodon

n. carnivorous dinosaur of the Permian in North America having a crest or dorsal sail

Wikipedia
Dimetrodon

Dimetrodon (; meaning "two measures of teeth") is an extinct genus of synapsid that lived during the Early Permian period, around 295–272 million years ago (Ma). It is a member of the family Sphenacodontidae. The most prominent feature of Dimetrodon is the large sail on its back formed by elongated spines extending from the vertebrae. It walked on four legs and had a tall, curved skull with large teeth of different sizes set along the jaws. Most fossils have been found in the southwestern United States, the majority coming from a geological deposit called the Red Beds in Texas and Oklahoma. More recently, fossils have been found in Germany. Over a dozen species have been named since the genus was first described in 1878.

Dimetrodon is often mistaken for a dinosaur or as a contemporary of dinosaurs in popular culture, but it became extinct some 40 million years before the first appearance of dinosaurs. Reptile-like in appearance and physiology, Dimetrodon is nevertheless more closely related to mammals than to modern reptiles, though it is not a direct ancestor or descendant of mammals.

Dimetrodon is assigned to a group traditionally called " mammal-like reptiles"—more recently termed "stem-mammals" or "non-mammalian synapsids". That is, many vertebrate paleontologists today group Dimetrodon together with mammals in an evolutionary group, or clade, called Synapsida, while they place dinosaurs with living reptiles and birds in a separate clade, Sauropsida. Single openings in the skull behind each eye, known as temporal fenestrae, and other skull features distinguish Dimetrodon and mammals from most of the earliest sauropsids.

Dimetrodon was probably one of the top predators in Early Permian ecosystems, feeding on fish and tetrapods, including reptiles as well as amphibians. Smaller Dimetrodon species may have had different ecological roles. The sail of Dimetrodon may have been used to stabilize its spine or to heat and cool its body as a form of thermoregulation. Some recent studies argue that the sail would have been ineffective at removing heat from the body, and was most likely used in sexual display.

Dimetrodon (album)

Dimetrodon is the third album from the nerd-folk duo The Doubleclicks, released on June 10, 2014. The album was funded via Kickstarter with a goal of $18,000. The campaign exceeded this and raised $80,923, on February 18, 2014, making it the most successful Portland music Kickstarter to date.

Usage examples of "dimetrodon".

The engineer, on the lead dimetrodon, signaled and moved the train of behemoths out into traffic.

A troop of dimetrodons sunning in shallow water plucked their feet from mud, lowered their rainbow sails, and swished out of the water, leaving wavy tail marks behind.

The dimetrodons turned droopy eyes upon the phenomenon, but made no other move except to twitch their tails from the hot water.

Casting about, the monster pointed a long-fingered hand at the sleepy dimetrodons, who looked on unimpressed.