#ctenospondylus

[impulseimpact]

[apsaravis]

Ctenospondylus, quick sketch colored in Photoshop to test some brushes (https://www.deviantart.com/88grzes/art/My-Brushes-505743662) ^_^

[hoshi-neko-hikari]

Was having trouble depicting faerie dragons as either a lizard or a prehistoric lizard like animal known as Ctenospondylus - though I did get the sail right.

Pardon me for any confusions.

No problem

[alphynix]

Weird Backs Month #09 -- Ctenospondylus

Ctenospondylus is known from the Early Permian (~290-280 mya) of Utah, Ohio, and Texas in the USA. It was a relatively large sphenacodont, growing to around 3m in length (9′10″), and much like the biggest species of Dimetrodon it was probably one of the apex predators of the time.

Although only known from fragmentary remains, it seems to have looked somewhat like a Dimetrodon with only “half a sail”, its vertebrae not quite growing to the same elaborate lengths. Its spines were much wider and more blade-like than its close relative’s, however.

I’ve given this reconstruction a highly speculative partial “spine-sail” similar to yesterday’s Dimetrodon -- although it’s unlikely to have actually looked this way. But it gives it an appropriately comb-like appearance, which is at least an amusing visual pun.

[raygathex]

Ctenospondylus is yet another Early Permian predator, that shared its world with Ophiacodon and Dimetrodon. It had a back spine but it was much shorter than the Dimetrodons and its head was very large and most likely had a very powerful bite.

[palaeopedia]

The comb vertebra, Ctenospondylus (1936)

Phylum : Chordata Class : Synapsid Order : Pelycosauria Family : Sphenacodontidae Genus : Ctenospondylus Species : C. casei, C. ninevehensis

Early Permian (305 - 295 Ma)

3 m long and 50 kg (size)

Texas, United States (map)

Beyond its marked resemblance to Dimetrodon--both of these ancient creatures were large, low-slung, sail-backed pelycosaurs, a widespread family of reptiles that preceded the dinosaurs--there isn't much to say about Ctenospondylus, except that its name is much less pronounceable than that of its more famous relative. Like Dimetrodon, Ctenospondylus was probably the top dog, food-chain-wise, of early Permian North America, since few other carnivores approached it in size.