Dimetrodon

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* Evolution 2

***Dimetrodon*** is a genus of synapsid that originated from Early Permian North America and Europe. It is part of the *Dominion Biosyn Expansion*.

## History

A pack of *Dimetrodon* inhabited the Amber Mine of the sanctuary that was created by BioSyn, and they were responsible for the deaths of some human workers in the past. They attempted to kill Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Maisie Lockwood when they traversed the mine, only to be rescued by Ian Malcolm and Ramsay Cole.

## Characteristics

A quadrupedal carnivorous synapsid, *Dimetrodon* is almost identical to its original fore-bearers; spread-out legs, the sail on its back, and seems to be roughly the same size. However, they seem to possess osteoderms, much like crocodilians. The skin in the sail is more extensive than the original, the head is more box-shaped and have the notch in the top jaw the real animal had. Additionally, it is more mammalian than reptilian. In fact, although it has a sailed back similar to many dinosaurs (such as *Spinosaurus*), *Dimetrodon* is actually a primitive synapsid dating back to the Early Permian period, around 295 million years ago – before the existence of even the earliest dinosaurs. The name *Dimetrodon* means "*Two Measures of Teeth*", in reference to this apex predator’s razor-sharp teeth that it used to grab and tear flesh from its prey.

## Gameplay

### Behavior

*Dimetrodon* cannot coexist with other small carnivores (with the exceptions of *Compsognathus* and *Coelophysis*) and fight against them. It also preys on the *Homalocephale*, but doesn't fight larger pachycephalosaurids, nor will attack ornithomimids such as *Gallimimus*.

## Paleontology

The first fossils of *Dimetrodon* were described in 1877 by legendary American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, after he procured them from a group who had excavated the Red Beds rock formation in Texas. Cope officially named the genus *Dimetrodon* a year later, although he initially believed that the sail was a fin belonging to a lizard. Over the years since its discovery, *Dimetrodon* has often been called a dinosaur. Eventually, not only was it discovered to have lived roughly forty million year before the first dinosaurs, but it was also discovered to be related to mammals as opposed to reptiles, which scientists gave it the species of protomammal, or "*mammal-like reptile*". *Dimetrodon* remains have been found across the southern United States and even as far away as Germany, dating back to a period when Europe and America formed a supercontinent known as Euramerica.

### Paleoecology

Believed to have been the apex predator of its time and environment, *Dimetrodon* lived in lowland ecosystems (such as vast wetlands) across the southern United States and even as far away as Germany, dating back to a period when Europe and America formed a supercontinent known as Euramerica. The genus lived alongside a rich variety of primitive animals, including one fellow synapsid called *Edaphosaurus*, fellow primitive reptile *Captorhinus*, as well as primitive amphibians called tetrapods, which include *Eryops* and *Seymouria* as well as true prehistoric amphibians such as *Diplocaulus*.

## Trivia

* *Dimetrodon* is the first synapsid and the first animal from the Paleozoic era to appear in the game.
* Despite not being a dinosaur, the *Dimetrodon* is classified as a dinosaur in-game for the sake of simplicity.
* *Dimetrodon* is the first fully quadrupedal carnivore in *Jurassic World Evolution 2*. This excludes *Indoraptor* and any flying reptiles who only stand on four limbs in certain animations.

## External Links

* Dimetrodon on Wikipedia

1. ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2022). *Jurassic World Dominion* [Film]. Universal Pictures.