Silvanerpeton is an extinct genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of early reptiliomorph found in the East Kirkton Quarry

East Kirkton Quarry

East Kirkton Quarry is a former limestone quarry, now better known as a fossil site known for terrestrial fossils from the fossil-poor "Romer's gap, a 15 million year period at the beginning of the Carboniferous...

 of West Lothian

West Lothian

West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. The find is important, as the quarry represents terrestrial deposits from the Romer's gap

Romer's gap

Romer's Gap is an example of a gap in the fossil record used in the study of evolution. Such gaps represent a period from which excavators have found no or very few fossils. Romer's gap is named after paleontologist Dr...

, a period poor in fossils where the higher groups labyrinthodonts evolved. Based on a remarkably well preserved humerus

Humerus

The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....

 and other traits, the animal is believed to have been an advanced repti-like amphibian

Reptiliomorpha

Reptiliomorpha refers to an order or subclass of reptile-like amphibians, which gave rise to the amniotes in the Carboniferous. Under phylogenetic nomenclature, the Reptiliomorpha includes their amniote descendants though, even in phylogenetic nomenclature, the name is mostly used when referring to...

, close to the origin of amniote

Amniote

The amniotes are a group of tetrapods that have a terrestrially adapted egg. They include synapsids and sauropsids , as well as their fossil ancestors. Amniote embryos, whether laid as eggs or carried by the female, are protected and aided by several extensive membranes...

s.

In life Silvanerpeton was about 30 cm (1 ft) long. Some paleontologists

Paleontology

Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...

think it was semi-aquatic as an adult, others believe only young Silvanerpeton were aquatic and the adults were fully terrestrial.