Eryops skeleton. Reconstruction,based on casts of fossil bones,of the skeleton of the prehistoric amphibian Eryops megacephalus. This is an example of a tetrapod (animal with four limbs),with several of its evolutionary adaptations marking the transition from life in water to life on land. These adaptations include a stronger backbone,sturdy limbs,and rudimentary ears. These fossils are from rocks in Texas,USA,dating from the Lower Permian (300 to 250 million years ago). Photographed in 2011,in the palaeontology gallery at the French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN),Paris,France |