Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
376 / Paleozoic
Archegosaurus
Archegosaurus decheni
A long snout, lateral-line grooves and weak limbs show permanent aquatic dependence.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 299–273 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Permian
- Geographic range
- Freshwater lakes · Germany
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Archegosaurus?
Archegosaurus (Archegosaurus decheni) was an extinct organism known from About 299–273 million years ago, with a range in Freshwater lakes · Germany.
Life and ecology
Archegosaurus swam with its tail and snapped up fish with narrow jaws.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Archegosaurus disappear?
Drying lake basins and turnover among aquatic temnospondyls are possible context; the fossil record does not establish a specific cause.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Archegosaurus?
Larval-to-adult fossils preserve skeletons, gill regions and soft outlines.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS