One hundred and seventy years after its initial discovery, scientists have finally solved the puzzling identity of Canada's earliest "dinosaur" -- and it’s actually a Dimetrodon.
In a study released earlier this week, Canadian researchers revealed that the fossil, previously branded a Bathygnathus borealis, has been renamed Dimetrodon borealis.
Dimetrodons were mammal-like reptiles that walked on four legs and were known primarily for their large "sails," which arced along their spines.
The creatures were top predators in the early Premian era, between 295 and 272 million years ago, and went extinct some 40 million years before the dinosaurs.
Dimetrodons are often mistaken for dinosaurs but are actually more closely related to mammals.
This week's findings make the Canadian fossil the first Dimetrodon find in Canada.
Researchers from the University of Toronto Mississauga, Carleton University and the Royal Ontario Museum were able to properly to identify the fossil, which was originally discovered on Prince Edward Island in 1845, thanks to a close analysis of its "blade-like teeth."
"It's really exciting to discovered that the detailed anatomy of the teeth has finally allowed us to identify precisely this important Canadian fossil," lead author Kirstin Brink said in a statement.
The fossil -- part of an upper jaw, including several sharp teeth -- was originally found by a famer who was digging out a well on his property near French River, P.E.I. and eventually sold to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
There renowned American paleontologist Joseph Leidy mistook the fossil as part of the lower jaw of a dinosaur, and named it Bathygnathus boreali, meaning deep jaw from the north.
Several paleontologists have examined the fossil since Leidy, but its precise identity remained a mystery.
Part of the problem was that it was unclear whether the find had the Dimetrodon's signature dorsal sail.
However, researchers were finally able to make the match through CT scans, which allowed them to see the internal anatomy of the fossil, and a close examination of family trees.
The scientists discovered that the find's eight preserved teeth were "ziphodont" -- compressed, recurved and serrated – a characteristic unique to Dimetrodon family, as a terrestrial animal, at the time.
"These are blade-like teeth with tiny serrations along the front and back of the teeth, similar to a steak knife," said Robert Reisz, senior author of the study.
"The roots of these teeth are very long, around double the length of the crowns. This type of tooth is very effective for biting and ripping flesh from prey."
Dimetrodon fossils have also been found in the southwestern United States and Germany.
The findings were published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.
