Hylonomus
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 The primitive sauropsid, Hylonomus lyelli
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Prehistoric
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| Hylonomus lyelli |
Hylonomus ("forest mouse") was an early reptile. It lived 315 million years ago during the Carboniferous period. As of 2006 it is the earliest confirmed reptile (Westlothiana is older but may be an amphibian). It was 20 cm long (including the tail) and probably would have looked rather similar to modern lizards. It had small sharp teeth and probably ate millipedes and early insects. It is a precursor of later reptiles. Its predators were the giant dragonflies, large arthropods, and other tetrapods such as Eryops, and Archaeothyris.
Fossils of Hylonomus have been found in the remains of fossilized tree stumps in Joggins, Nova Scotia. They were discovered by Sir William Dawson in the 1800s. The name comes from the Greek word for wood, the Latin for mouse (forest mouse), and the name of the geologist, and Dawson's teacher, Sir Charles Lyell.
[edit] References
Nova Scotia provincial fossils
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