What will happen when 2 swift,intelligent Borogovia gang up on a deadly Citipati mother? Who will win in an oceanic war between a giant shark and giant whale? Will an odd cone-shaped squid take down a scorpion the size of a person? Read to find the...
Eryops megacephalus was the tank of the early Permian amphibian world. At 2 metres long, every other animal in the swamp had to watch out for its powerful jaws, except for the pelycosaurs, mammal-like reptiles which included Dimetrodon. But one pelycosaur lived in the same swamps as Eryops in Texas, USA: the Secodontosaurus genus, and the most robust was the 2.07 metre sail backed crocodile-like beast, S. obtusidens, who may have been able to topple the amphibian tank. So, who would be the king of swampy Permian Texas?
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The fight
A Secodontosaurus named Arnold is hungrily prowling the edge of a lake, looking for prey. He doesn't know that something other than the amphibians he hunts is hunting him. Suddenly, a defensive Eryops jumps out at the unsuspecting intruder and clamps its jaws down on the head. The pelycosaur is locked in a tug-of-war as its attacker, a stressed out male who is looking for a mate, Dwayne. He is being dragged into the water. He is panicking, almost wanting to give up on life, but no. With a strong burst of power, he flips around and sinks his teeth into Dwayne's soft, delicate, skin. Arnold easily rips the skin of his attacker, and he has found new strength. He tears at the face of Dwayne some more, and climbs up on the amphibian. But suddenly, Dwayne flips over into the water, and Arnold's delicate sail snaps, paralysing him. A weak Eryops then drags the carcass into the water, having a feast.
