Despite looking fairly similar to Dimetrodon, Edaphosaurus led a very different lifestyle. These gentle herbivores lived in large herds, and preferred to bask in the sun while feeding on plants around them. Oddly enough, these strange-looking reptiles were fairly close to us. Edaphosaurus thrived in the Permian, and its peaceful lifestyle led to a fairly gentle creature.

Basic Info

Meaning of name: Edaphosaurus means "pavement lizard". It got this name due to large clusters of teeth found all together.

Time of existance: Edaphosaurus lived in the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian, 303.4 million to 272.5 million years ago.

Diet: Edaphosaurus was a herbivore, and strictly fed on the conifers and ferns that existed around it. Their teeth were specially designed for grinding the rough vegetation they ate.

Threats: Edaphosaurus were the primary prey of Dimetrodon, and it would go after both adults and juveniles.

An Edaphosaurus faces off against an amphibian

Size: Edaphosaurus was more than 11.5 feet long.

Attributes: Much like its close relative and enemy Dimetrodon, Edaphosaurus had a sail that it used to regulate its temperature with thin blood vessels. They also had multiple batteries of teeth it used to grind up its food.

A herd of Edaphosaurus flashing their sails to intimidate a Dimetrodon

Appearances in the Walking with... series

Edaphosaurus's sail briefly appears in the intro, with the title appearing on it.

Edaphosaurus in the opening

Episode 1-Water Dwellers

Edaphosaurus appears in the opening synopsis a couple times. A juvenile is first seen being killed by a Dimetrodon, and a herd is also briefly seen. Edaphosaurus also appears in the credits. A herd is first seen, and they are also seen panicking while a Dimetrodon charges.

Episode 2-Reptile's Beginnings

Edaphosaurus is first seen as a Petrolacosaurus evolves into it. Once this is done, the scene transitions into some sort of plain as the Edaphosaurus roars. An aerial shot reveals a massive herd of the creatures, basking in the sun. The herd is quite tightly knit, with each member staying fairly close to each other. One Edaphosaurus is shown laying down, as the rest of the herd continues to bask. We are then shown the blood-filled skin membrane that helps the reptiles regulate their temperatures, which is why we are able to control our own temperatures. As the herd continues to bask, a hungry female Dimetrodon arrives and eyes the herd. Due to her being pregnant, she decides to attack a juvenile. At first, the herd is unaware of her presence, but she ends up charging, alerting them. The herd begins to panic, flushing their sails with blood to try to intimidate the carnivore. Realizing this is not working, the herd begins to flee, with one breaking a fallen tree. As the herd flees, they begin to disperse, exposing the vulnerable juvenile. The youngster sees the Dimetrodon is eyeing him, and attempts to flee, but is far too slow. As the rest of the herd flees and escapes, the predator kills the Edaphosaurus by biting its head, and then begins to feed. However, the kill attracts a group of hungry male Dimetrodon, and the female abandons it. One is seen eating the leg of the Edaphosaurus, and one is seen shaking dung from the intestines before eating them. Once they are finished, the only thing that will be left of the young Edaphosaurus is bones. The Edaphosaurus reappear in the spring segment, where they are seen lying in the shade to avoid overheating. They appear once more when summer arrives, where a couple of youngsters are seen playing, before an adult growls at them, annoyed they disturbed its rest.

Two young Edaphosaurus

Episode 3-Clash of Titans

Edaphosaurus is only briefly seen in the opening recap, where a juvenile is seen being killed by a Dimetrodon.