Whatcheeriidae
| Whatcheeriidae | ||||||||||
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| lower carbon | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Whatcheeriidae | ||||||||||
| Clack , 2002 |
The Whatcheeriidae are a group of extinct, formerly terrestrial vertebrates from the Lower Carboniferous . It includes only two genera, Pederpes whose fossil remains were found in Scotland and Whatcheeria from Iowa in the USA. Both were about three feet long. They were the first land vertebrates to be more adapted to running on land than to swimming in water.
features
The animals had a strong lower jaw. The mouth was covered with sharp, strong and slightly curved teeth. On each maxillary there was a large fang. The animals were likely carnivores that fed on fish and other tetrapods.
Primitive features of the Whatcheeriidae are the lateral line canals running in the skull bone and the primitive Illium , which was similar to that of Acanthostega . Other fish-like features include the teeth on the palate bones and on the coronoid of the lower jaw.
It is seen as progressive that the foot only had five toes. On the hand, however, there still seems to have been a sixth, greatly reduced toe. The skull of the Whatcheeriidae was narrow and taller than that of the Sarcopterygii and the more primitive terrestrial vertebrates. The skull surface was finely sculpted.
literature
- Michael J. Benton : Paleontology of the vertebrates. 2007, ISBN 3-89937-072-4
