Hylonomus

Hylonomus is an extinct genus of small, lizard-like reptiles that lived during the late Carboniferous period. It is among the earliest known reptiles and belongs to the family Hylonomidae, a group of early sauropsids.

Fossils of Hylonomus have been found in the Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia, Canada, in rocks dating to the Early Pennsylvanian. The Joggins site preserves a coal swamp ecosystem and has yielded numerous well-preserved specimens that illuminate early amniote evolution.

Hylonomus was a small, agile reptile with a slender body, a long tail, and limbs bearing five digits. It had sharp teeth suitable for catching insects or small invertebrates and was adapted to terrestrial movement on the forest floor.

As one of the earliest undisputed reptiles, Hylonomus provides important evidence for the early diversification of amniotes and the colonization of land by reptiles during the Carboniferous.