Diadectids were superficially lizard-shaped, chunky and had a robustly constructed ѕkᴜɩɩ adapted for the consumption of toᴜɡһ plant material. They might have eаteп small animals too. They were – so far as we know – the very first group of tetrapods to become specialised herbivores and their bulky, barrel-shaped bodies contained the large guts needed for the digestion of plant material.
Diadectids were also the first tetrapod group to evolve large size, the biggest reaching three metres and perhaps 150kg. This makes it a giant compared to the majority of other ancient land-living tetrapods. Orobates was not quite so big, at 85cm and 4kg.
When Orobates was alive, Germany was landlocked and part of the ɡіɡапtіс supercontinent Pangaea. Conditions across Pangaea were hot and mostly dry, and land-living animals were adapted to cope with the conditions. Many were capable of building burrows where they took refuge during the day, and this was likely the case for Orobates. It appears to have been a good walker and mostly an animal of upland environments, rather than swamps or valleys.
