Dimetrodon Berea, Like Other Dimetrodons, Was a Narrow Animal

Photo above shows the first (ever?) measurable pes footprint distance of a Dimetrodon berea tetrapod from the El Pueblo facies. Like Dimetrodon elpueblus (straight claws), Dimetrodon berea (biforked claws) was a very narrow animal. The space between the pes footprints (smallest digit to smallest digit) suggest a distance of about 2.5 inches, maximum. That is not much of a sprawled posture. It appears that Dimetrodon berea was also slightly pigeon-toed, suggesting, perhaps, a lower sail that was less wind compromised. A question of balance comes to mind when studying the narrow footprints of sailed tetrapods. Nonetheless, able to range from swamp to swamp in broad, CO2-hot daylight, Dimetrodon berea was one of the early Permian's most active controllers of small amphibia.