MESOSAURUS

(MESS-oh-SAW- us)
"Middle Lizard"

Was an odd, fresh-water dwelling reptile (not a dinosaur) that lived from the late Carboniferous Period to the early Permian Period. It was lightly built, 4 legged animal with an elongated head and snout with nostrils near its eyes and a flattened tail used for swimming. It was a primitive reptile that returned to the water about 300 million years ago after having adapted to the land and one of the first aquatic reptiles. Fossils have been found in South Africa and South America, thereby reinforcing Wegener’s theory of continental drift.