Eryops
| Eryops | |
|---|---|
| Skeleton of Eryops megacephalus at the American Museum of Natural History | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Tetrapoda |
| Order: | †Temnospondyli |
| Family: | †Eryopidae |
| Genus: | †Eryops Cope, 1877 |
| Species: | †E. megacephalus
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Eryops megacephalus Cope, 1877
| |
Eryops (/ˈɛri.ɒps/; from Greek ἐρύειν, eryein, 'drawn-out' + ὤψ, ops, 'face', because most of its skull was in front of its eyes) is a genus of extinct, amphibious temnospondyls. It contains the type species Eryops megacephalus, the fossils of which are found mainly in early Permian deposits of the Texas Red Beds, and Eryops grandis from New Mexico. Fossils have also been found in late Carboniferous rocks from New Mexico and early Permian deposits of Oklahoma, Utah, the Pittsburgh tri-state region, and Prince Edward Island. Several complete skeletons of Eryops have been found in lower Permian rocks, but skull bones and teeth are its most common fossils.