Eryopidae or Eryops megacephalus Claw measures 6 inches. Eryops megacephalus Claw is museum quality polyurethane resin cast. Made in USA.
In 2005, a skull clearly belonging to Eryops was found in upper Pennsylvanian epoch rocks of the El Cobre Canyon Formation in New Mexico, representing the oldest known specimen.
Eryops lived in lowland habitats in and around ponds, streams, and rivers, and the arrangement and shape of their teeth suggests that they probably ate mostly large fish and aquatic tetrapods.
Like other large primitive temnospondyls, Eryops would have grown slowly and gradually from aquatic larvae, but they did not go through a major metamorphosis like many modern amphibians.
While adults probably lived in ponds and rivers, perhaps venturing onto their banks, juvenile Eryops may have lived in swamps, which possibly offered more shelter from predators
The torso of Eryops was relatively stiff and the tail stout, which would have made them poor swimmers. While they probably fed on fish, adult Eryops must have spent most of their time on land.
Eryops or E. megacephalus means drawn out face in Greek. It was named this because most of its skull was in front of its eyes.
It contains the single species Eryops megacephalus, the fossils of which were found mainly in early Permian (about 295 million years ago) rocks of the Texas Red Beds, located in Archer County, Texas.
Fossils have also been found in late Carboniferous period rocks from New Mexico. Several complete skeletons of Eryops have been found in lower Permian rocks, but skull bones and teeth are its most common fossils.
Eryopidae or Eryops averaged a little over 4.9–6.6 ft. long and could grow up to 9.8 ft. making them among the largest land animals of their time.
Adults weighed between 225 and 489 lb. The skull was proportionately large, being broad and flat and reaching lengths of 2.0 ft. It had an enormous mouth with many curved teeth, like those of frogs.
Its teeth had enamel with a folded pattern, leading to its early classification as a “labyrinthodont” (“maze toothed”).
The shape and cross section of Eryopidae or Eryops teeth made them exceptionally strong and resistant to stresses.
The palate, or roof of the mouth, contained three pairs of backward-curved fangs, and was covered in backward-pointing bony projections which would have been used to trap slippery prey once caught.
This, coupled with the wide gape, suggest an inertial method of feeding, in which the animal would grasp its prey and thrust forward, forcing the prey farther back into its mouth.
Eryops was much more strongly built and sturdy than its relatives, and had the most massive and heavily ossified skeleton of all known temnospondyls.
Eryopidae or Eryops limbs were especially large and strong. The pectoral girdle was highly developed, with a larger size for increased muscle attachments. Most notably, the shoulder girdle was disconnected from the skull, resulting in improved terrestrial locomotion.
The crossopterygian cleithrum was retained as the clavicle, and the interclavicle was well-developed, lying on the underside of the chest.
The upper portion of the girdle had a flat scapular blade, with the glenoid cavity situated below performing as the articulation surface for the humerus, while ventrally there was a large flat coracoid plate turning in toward the midline.