Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

ad
(Already a member? Click here.)


T. rex skull ZoomDinosaurs.com
Dinosaur
News
Eudibamus
The earliest-known animal that walked on two legs

November 2000

Eudibamus cursoris was a small, fast-moving lizard that lived during the Permian period, roughly 290 million years ago. It is the earliest-known animal that walked on two legs (it was facultatively bipedal; it ran on two legs when it needed to).

Speed: David Berman (of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History) estimated that Eudibamus could run about 15 miles per hour (24 kph). This plant-eater likely used its speed to avoid its predators.


Anatomy: Eudibamus' hind legs were long, and its front legs were short and weak (the hind legs were 64% longer than the front legs and 34% longer than its trunk). It also had a long tail. Eudibamus was 10.3 inches (26.1 cm) long.

Fossils and Name: Fossils of this synapsid were found in a quarry near Gotha, Germany, in 1993. Eudibamus was named by Robert Reisz, et al. Eudibamus was not a dinosaur, but another, much earlier type of reptile. Dimetrodon was a contemporary of Eudibamus.

Classification: Class Reptilia (reptiles), order Eosuchia, suborder Bolosaurida, family Bolosauridae, Genus Eudibamus, species E. cursoris.

RELATED LINKS
Animals of the Permian period, before the time of the dinosaurs.

Other fossils found in Europe.

Chart of geological time.



Return to the top of the page.



Enchanted Learning®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

Overview of Site
What's New
Enchanted Learning Home
Monthly Activity Calendar
Books to Print
Site Index

K-3
Crafts
K-3 Themes
Little Explorers
Picture dictionary
PreK/K Activities
Rebus Rhymes
Stories
Writing
Cloze Activities
Essay Topics
Newspaper
Writing Activities
Parts of Speech

Fiction
The Test of Time

Biology
Animal Printouts
Biology Label Printouts
Biomes
Birds
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Food Chain
Human Anatomy
Mammals
Plants
Rainforests
Sharks
Whales
Physical Sciences: K-12
Astronomy
The Earth
Geology
Hurricanes
Landforms
Oceans
Tsunami
Volcano
Languages
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese (Romaji)
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish
Geography/History
Explorers
Flags
Geography
Inventors
US History

Other Topics
Art and Artists
Calendars
College Finder
Crafts
Graphic Organizers
Label Me! Printouts
Math
Music
Word Wheels

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail


Enchanted Learning Search

Search the Enchanted Learning website for:



Advertisement.

Advertisement.



Copyright ©2000 EnchantedLearning.com ------ How to cite a web page