Eryops Characteristics

Eryops was alligator-like in appearance and was strong and heavily built. It measured around 6 feet (2 metres) in length and weighed around 200 pounds. Its skull was large, broad and flat, reaching around 2 feet in length, and it possessed many sharp teeth and a powerful jaw. Its teeth had enamel with a folded pattern. Eryops eye sockets were large and facing upwards and its nostrils were placed on top of its head. Eryops had a thick stout body with very wide ribs. It had a strong spine and 4 short strong legs. Eryops had a short thick tail which may suggest it was not a strong swimmer. Because of the location of the eyes and nostrils, Eryops may have sat quiet in the water in wait of prey with only the yeys and nostrils visible above the water, very much like alligators and crocodiles do today.

Because the body of the Eryops was close to the ground, it used most of its strength to raise itself up to move which made it a slow mover. Only short broad strides could have been taken and this has been confirmed by fossilized footprints found in Carboniferous rocks. Eryops is an example of an animal that made successful adaptations in the movement from a water environment to a terrestrial one. It retained, and refined, most of the traits found in its fish ancestors. Sturdy limbs supported and transported its body while out of water. A thicker, stronger backbone prevented its body from sagging under its own weight. Also, by utilizing vestigial fish jaw bones, a rudimentary ear was developed, allowing Eryops to hear airborne sound.

Eryops was a carnivorous animal and the largest land animal of its time. It was a fierce predator in both water and on land. It may have eaten fish as its primary diet along with small reptiles and other amphibians. A large supply of terrestrial invertebrates were also abundant at the time, and this may have provided a fairly adequate food supply for the Eryops. Eryops would grasp its prey and, lacking any chewing mechanism, toss its head up and backwards, throwing the prey further back into its mouth. Such feeding is seen today in the crocodile and alligator. Eryops may have been preyed up on land by the fast moving Dimetrodon who was also around at that time. The primitive shark Orthacanthus may have hunted it in the water.

Eryops skeleton is on display at the Natural History Museum, London.

Eryops fossils have been found in Texas, USA, North America. Eryops was named by E. D. Cope in 1887.