Batignat

Batignat is not an animal, but a fossil of a part of a jaw that was mistakenly thought to belong to a dinosaur.

It was actually from a pelycosaur, an ancient reptile that lived in the Permian period, about 270 million years ago.

Batignat means "heavy jaw" in Greek, because the jaw fragment was very thick and large.

The fossil was found on Prince Edward Island in Canada by Joseph Leidy in 1854.

The Batignat is an extinct animal that lived about 270 million years ago in the Permian period.
It was a type of pelycosaur, a group of early reptiles that were ancestors of dinosaurs and mammals.
The Batignat was a carnivore that hunted other animals with its sharp teeth and strong jaws.

The Batignat was first discovered and described by Joseph Leidy in 1854, based on a fragment of a lower jaw found on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Leidy thought that the jaw belonged to a large predatory dinosaur, and named it Bathygnathus borealis, meaning "deep jaw of the north".
Later, it was realized that the Batignat was not a dinosaur, but a much older reptile that lived before the dinosaurs evolved.

The Batignat is one of the few pelycosaurs known from the polar regions of the ancient world.
It lived in a cold and dry climate, where the seasons were very different from today.
The Batignat had to cope with long periods of darkness and cold in the winter, and short periods of light and warmth in the summer.
It is possible that the Batignat had some adaptations to survive these harsh conditions, such as a thick fur coat or a layer of fat.

The Batignat is still a mysterious animal, as only a few fossils of it have been found.
Scientists do not know much about its appearance, behavior, or ecology.
However, by comparing it with other pelycosaurs, they can make some educated guesses.
For example, the Batignat probably had a long tail, a low body, and four legs with claws.
It may have also had a sail on its back, like some of its relatives, such as Dimetrodon.
The sail could have helped the Batignat to regulate its body temperature, or to attract mates.

The Batignat was an important part of the Permian ecosystem, as a top predator and a link between the ancient and modern reptiles.
It was one of the many fascinating creatures that lived in the past, and that we can learn more about through the study of fossils.