Dendrerpeton
| Dendrerpeton Temporal range: Carboniferous | |
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| Skull of Dendrerpeton on display at the Redpath Museum, Montreal | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | †Temnospondyli |
| Family: | †Dendrerpetontidae |
| Genus: | †Dendrerpeton Owen, 1853 |
| Type species | |
| †Dendrerpeton acadianum Owen, 1853 | |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Dendrerpeton (from Greek: δένδρον déndron, 'tree' and Greek: ἑρπετόν herpetón, 'creeping thing') is a genus of an extinct group of temnospondyl amphibians. Its fossils have been found primarily in the Joggins Formation of Eastern Canada and in Ireland. It lived during the Carboniferous and is said to be around 309–316 million years of age, corresponding to more specifically the Westphalian (stage) age. Of terrestrial temnospondyl amphibians evolution, it represents the first stage. Although multiple species have been proposed, the species unanimously recognized is D. acadianum. This species name comes from “Acadia” which is a historical name for the Nova Scotia region as a French colony. It refers to the location of the coal field at which the fossil was found.