Okay folks, a real quick post to explain the difference between the Marx original and revised Dimetrodon's. After looking through my critters I don't have a revised one - all originals - but the difference is super easy to explain. Original = mold circle on belly. Revised = no mold circle on belly. Easy peasy. Enjoy! Opa Fritz
Here's another dinosaur wannabe, the Marx Dimetrodon (meaning two measures of tooth). These, like the Sphenacodon (covered a few days back on the blog), lived in the Paleozoic era - that period of time before the Mesozoic (the Age of Dinosaurs). Specifically it reigned during the Cisuralian (Early Permian), around 295–272 million years ago. Confusing? Okay:
-the Paleozoic was an era of time
--the Permian age was a portion of that time
---the Early Permian age is called the Cisuralian epoch.
Kinda like a book: you have the book, then the chapters, then the paragraphs, then sub-paragraphs. I find it easier to just know these critters came before the dinosaurs LOL
Both Sphenacodon and Dimetrodon are classified as synapsids - not dinosaurs, but rather mammal-like reptiles - and in fact, Dimetrodon had already gone extinct some 40 million years before the coming of dinosaur's. According to Wikipedia: "Dimetrodon was probably one of the apex predators of the Cisuralian ecosystems, feeding on fish and tetrapods, including reptiles and amphibians." However, I saw an interesting BBC episode of "Walking With Dinosaurs" that showed them to also be canabalistic and quite ornery! While most fossils have been found in the southwestern United States, some have been found more recently in Germany.
Our toy Dimetrodon was also part of Marx's PL-755 Mold Group and measures 3 1/4" L x 1 1/2" L. Enjoy! Opa Fritz
