The 8^th edition of the unrivalled Evolution of Life series stuns with a remarkable new representative of a distant past. Edaphosaurus, meaning «pavement lizard» for its dense clusters of teeth, is a genus of extinct synapsids. It roamed the earth from Late Carboniferous to the Early Permian period (318 million to 271 million years ago). The primitive herbivorous relative of mammals reached a body length of over 3.5 metres, with a short, low skull and blunt, conical teeth. The most distinctive feature, however, was the large «sail» on its back. While its function is still in dispute, researchers speculate such sails could have provided camouflage, protection against predator attacks, regulation of body temperature, or sexual display and species recognition.