Half on land, half in water — this ancient giant ruled the swamps long before the dinosaurs arrived.
Eryops was a prehistoric amphibian that probably hunted both in the water and on land. It prowled through the swamps during the Early Permian period in the areas of the United States that are now known as Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
This magnificent Eryops skeleton shows that the amphibian was heavily built, with very strong bones, a massive, heavy head, and the sharp teeth of a meat-eater.
300 million years ago, before the Age of Dinosaurs, amphibians such as Eryops dominated the swamps. They were stronger than early amphibians and became more independent of the water. However, they still had to return to water to lay their eggs, as amphibians do today.
Source: Microsoft Dinosaurs (1993) CD-ROM. Text liberated from original screen art; images & audio restored from disc. Original media is Microsoft/supplier copyright — non-commercial educational preservation. Credits & Acknowledgements