Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
490 / Paleozoic
Trimerorhachis
Trimerorhachis insignis
External gills and a long body show a temnospondyl that remained aquatic throughout life.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 290–275 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Permian
- Geographic range
- Freshwater channels and ponds · Texas, USA
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Trimerorhachis?
Trimerorhachis (Trimerorhachis insignis) was an extinct organism known from About 290–275 million years ago, with a range in Freshwater channels and ponds · Texas, USA.
Life and ecology
It ambushed fish and invertebrates in turbid shallows and sometimes gathered densely in seasonal water.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Trimerorhachis disappear?
Early Permian turnover among freshwater predators is possible context; a specific cause is not established.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Trimerorhachis?
Bone beds, skeletons, gill arches and gut contents reveal its life history; cannibalism remains debated.
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