Knight drawing of Chimaera

[Allen Hazen <allenph@unimelb.edu.au>]

It's synapsid, so exclusive dinosaur lovers won't be interested, but 
for those who like Charles Knight's paleontological art...
The May 2007 issue of "Scientific American," in the 50 and 100 years 
ago department, reproduces (alas, not at a very large size) a 1907 
Knight illustration of "Naosaurus."*  Alas, someone had misassociated 
a Dimetrodon skull with Edaphosaurus postcrania, so the reconstructed 
animal portrayed is a chimaera: something with an Edaphosaurid sail, 
but an oversize Spenacodontid head (with a cheerful expression, and 
what looks like an ear-hole in an implausibly high conjectural 
position).
--
* I can't remember whether "Naosaurus" is the name of a taxon close 
to Edaphosaurus or a synonym for "Edaphosaurus."  It's a great name 
in either case: given the suggestion of a square-rigger's spars given 
by the lateral projections on an Edaphosaur's "masts", calling it a 
"ship lizard" is nice!
---
Allen Hazen
Philosophy Department
U of Melbourne