Dimetrodon

Dimetrodon was a prehistoric reptile that lived around 295 to 272 million years ago, before dinosaurs. It resembled a large, sail-backed predator with a spiny crest along its back. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a dinosaur but a synapsid, an ancient group related to mammals. Its distinctive sail, formed from elongated vertebral spines, likely helped regulate body temperature or acted as a display during mating. Dimetrodon was a carnivore, hunting smaller animals in its habitat, and provides important insight into early terrestrial ecosystems and the evolution of synapsids leading to mammals.