Eudibamus

Eudibamus is an extinct genus of bolosaurid reptile known from the Early Permian of the Free State of Thuringia in central Germany. It was a small reptile, only 25-26 cm in length. Like other bolosaurids, it was probably an agile herbivore, and it shows a long list of adaptations for bipedal movement. The hindlimbs had a parasagittal stance, with close-set and nearly vertical legs similar to dinosaurs and mammals. The tail and hindlimbs are very long, the forelimbs are slender, the digits are closely bundled together, and the ankle joint is hinge-like. Eudibamus is regarded as the oldest known bipedal vertebrate.

Discovery and etymology

Eudibamus is known only from the holotype MNG 8852, an articulated and almost complete cranial and postcranial skeleton. It was collected from the uppermost part of the Tambach Formation, dating to the Artinskian stage of the Late Cisuralian Series, about 284–279.5 million years ago. It was found in the Bromacker Quarry, the middle part of the Thuringian Forest, near the village of Tambach-Dietharz.
Eudibamus was named by David S. Berman, Robert R. Reisz, Diane Scott, Amy C. Henrici, Stuart S. Sumida and Thomas Martens in 2000 and the type species is Eudibamus cursoris. The generic name means 'typical two-footed'. The specific name is derived from the Latin cursor, or 'runner'.