Name:
Westlothiana (after West Lothian in Scotland)); pronounced west-low-thee-ANN-ah
Habitat:
Swamps of western Europe
Historical Period:
Early Carboniferous (350 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About one foot long and a few pounds
Diet:
Insects
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long, thin body; splayed legs
About Westlothiana:
It's a bit of an oversimplification to say that the most advanced prehistoric amphibians evolved directly into the least advanced prehistoric reptiles; there was also an intermediate group known as the "amniotes," which laid leathery rather than hard eggs (and thus weren't restricted to bodies of water). The early Carboniferous Westlothiana was once believed to be the earliest true reptile (an honor now bestowed on Hylonomus), until paleontologists noted the amphibian-like structure of its wrists, vertebrae and skull. Today, no one is quite sure how to classify this creature, except for the unenlightening statement that Westlothiana was more primitive than the true reptiles that succeeded it!
