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Gorgonopsidae
Gorgonopsia (from the Greek Gorgon, a mythological beast, and 'aspect') is an extinct clade of sabre-toothed therapsids from the Middle to Upper Permian roughly 265 to 252 million years ago. They are characterised by a long and narrow skull, as well as elongated upper and sometimes lower canine teeth and incisors which were likely used as slashing and stabbing weapons. Postcanine teeth are generally reduced or absent. For hunting large prey, they possibly used a bite-and-retreat tactic, ambushing and taking a debilitating bite out of the target, and following it at a safe distance before its injuries exhausted it, whereupon the gorgonopsian would grapple the animal and deliver a killing bite. They would have had an exorbitant gape, possibly in excess of 90°, without having to unhinge the jaw. They markedly increased in size as time went on, growing from small skull lengths of in the Middle Permian to bear-like proportions of up to in the Upper Permian. The latest gorgonop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scylacops
''Scylacops'' (meaning "face that tears") is an extinct genus of Gorgonopsia. It was first named by Broom in 1913,Broom, R. "On the Gorgonopsia, a Sub-order of the Mammal-like Reptiles." ''Proceedings of the general meetings for scientific business of the Zoological Society of London''. (1913): 225-230. and contains two species, ''S. bigendens'', and ''S. capensis''. Its fossils have been found in South Africa and Zambia. It is believed to be closely related to the Gorgonopsian ''Sauroctonus progressus''. ''Scylacops'' was a moderately sized Gorgonopsid. Scylacops is an carnivorous therapsid, existing from 259.0 to 254.0 Ma. ''S. bigendens'' was first described by Brink and James Kitching in 1953, although its original description was ''Sycocephalus bigendens''.Brink, A. S., and J. W. Kitching. "Studies on new specimens of the Gorgonopsia." ''Palaeontologia africana'' 1 (1953): 1-28. According to the paleobiology database ''Scylacops'' specimens have been found in the following lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
"Dixeya" Nasuta
"''Dixeya''" ''nasuta'' is a species of the predatory gorgonopsian therapsids from the Late Permian of East Africa, known from fossils found in what is now Tanzania. The species has a complicated taxonomic history, it was originally named as a second species of the genus ''Dixeya'' which is now considered a junior synonym of ''Aelurognathus''. "''D.''" ''nasuta'' itself, however, was not moved to ''Aelurognathus'', and although it was instead tentatively referred to ''Arctognathus'' at first it has since been recognised to not belong to this genus either. This situation leaves "''Dixeya''" ''nasuta'' without a formal genus name. It was proposed to belong to a new distinct genus, named "Njalila", that was informally proposed for the species in a PhD thesis, but this name has not yet been formally published and is currently a ''nomen nudum''. "''D.''" ''nasuta'' has been characterised from other gorgonopsians by a combination of its straight snout profile, upturned and 'pinched' nos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gorgonops
''Gorgonops'' (from el, Γοργών 'Gorgon' and 'eye, face', literally 'Gorgon eye' or 'Gorgon face') is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids, of which it is the type genus, having lived during the Late Permian (Wuchiapingian), about 260–254 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Despite its popularity, ''Gorgonops'' is a medium-sized gorgonopsian (about long maximum), regularly confused by the general public with the more massive ''Inostrancevia'', known from Russia, due to their similar appearance and the various media that tend to refer them by the name of the group they belong rather than by their genus names, which does not help in differentiation. History of discovery The holotype of the type species, ''Gorgonops torvus'', was in 1876 one of the first therapsids described, by Richard Owen, who also coined the name "Dinosauria" on the basis of the first known dinosaur fossils. It was also used as the type for which Richard Lydekker described the family ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inostrancevia
''Inostrancevia'' is an extinct genus of carnivorous therapsids, containing the largest members of gorgonopsians, predators characterized by long, saber-tooth-like canines. The various species inhabited European Russia during the Upper Tatarian (Vyatskian), a Russian regional stage equivalent to the Wuchiapingian and Changhsingian stage of the Late Permian period, dating from approximately 259 to 252.3 million years ago. The genus name was described posthumously, after the Bolshevik Revolution, by the Russian paleontologist Vladimir P. Amalitsky in 1922, in honor of geologist Aleksandr Inostrantsev. The first fossils attributed to ''I. alexandri'' are found in Arkhangelsk Oblast, near the Northern Dvina at the end of the 19th century, making it the first gorgonopsian known from Russia, the only place outside Africa where they are officially recognized. Some fossils of the species in question are among the most complete remains of gorgonopsians ever identified to date, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aloposaurus
''Aloposaurus'' is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids from the Late Permian of South Africa. It was first named by Robert Broom in 1910, and contains the type species ''A. gracilis'', and possibly a second species ''A. tenuis''. This small gorgonopsid had a slender narrow skull only long, with a total body length of . Classification Below is a cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ... from the phylogenetic analysis of Gebauer (2007): References Sources paleodb.org Gorgonopsia Prehistoric therapsid genera Lopingian synapsids of Africa Fossil taxa described in 1910 Taxa named by Robert Broom Lopingian genus first appearances Lopingian genus extinctions {{paleo-therapsid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lycaenops
''Lycaenops'' ("wolf-face") is a genus of carnivorous therapsids. It lived during the Middle Permian to the early Late Permian, about 260 mya, in what is now South Africa. Description ''Lycaenops'' measured about and weighed up to . Like the modern-day wolves from which it takes its name, ''Lycaenops'' had a long and slender skull, with a set of dog-like fangs set into both its upper and lower jaws. These pointed canine teeth were ideal for the use of stabbing and/or tearing at the flesh of any large prey that it came upon. ''Lycaenops'' most likely hunted small vertebrates such as reptiles and dicynodonts. ''Lycaenops'' walked and ran with its long legs held close to its body. This is a feature found in mammals, but not in more primitive amniotes, early reptiles, and synapsids such as pelycosaurs, whose legs are positioned to the sides of their bodies. The ability to move like a mammal would have given ''Lycaenops'' an advantage over other land vertebrates, since it would hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arctognathus
''Arctognathus'' is an extinct genus of gorgonopsids that throve during the Late Permian in the Karoo basin of what is now South Africa. Discovery A carnivore, like all gorgonopsid, ''Arctognathus'' was given its name ("Bear jaw") in reference to its short and rounded snout. There is only one recognized species, ''A. curvimola''. Description It was a small gorgonopsid with a total length estimated at 1.1 m and an 18 cm skull. Classification Below is a cladogram from the phylogenetic analysis of Gebauer (2007): See also * List of therapsids This list of therapsids is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the Therapsida excluding mammals and purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera tha ... References Bibliography * * Gorgonopsia Prehistoric therapsid genera Lopingian synapsids of Africa Fossil taxa described in 1911 Taxa named by Robert Broom Loping ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viatkogorgon
''Viatkogorgon'' is a genus of gorgonopsian (a type of therapsid, the group that includes modern mammals) that lived during the Permian period in what is now Russia. The first fossil was found at the Kotelnich locality near the Vyatka River and was made the holotype of the new genus and species ''V. ivachnenkoi'' in 1999. The generic name refers to the river and the related genus ''Gorgonops''—the gorgons of Greek mythology are often referenced in the names of the group. The specific name honors the paleontologist Mikhail F. Ivakhnenko. The holotype skeleton is one of the most complete gorgonopsian specimens known and includes rarely preserved elements such as gastralia (abdominal ribs) and a sclerotic ring (a bony ring inside the eye). A larger, but poorly preserved specimen has also been assigned to the species. The holotype specimen is about long, including the long skull, making ''Viatkogorgon'' a relatively small gorgonopsian. The assigned specimen is larger, with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aelurognathus
''Aelurognathus'' is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids from the Permian of South Africa. Discovery The type species is ''Aelurognathus tigriceps'', originally named ''Scymnognathus tigriceps'' by South African paleontologists Robert Broom and Sydney H. Haughton in 1913, and later assigned to the new genus ''Aelurognathus'' by Haughton in 1924. ''Scymnognathus parringtoni'' von Huene, 1950, previously assigned to ''Aelurognathus'', is now classified as a species of ''Sauroctonus''. ''Aelurognathus nyasaensis'' Haughton, 1926 is not referable to the genus.Kammerer CF. (2016) Systematics of the Rubidgeinae (Therapsida: Gorgonopsia) PeerJ 4:e1608 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1608 Palaeobiology A broken tooth beside the skeleton of a dicynodont from the ''Tropidostoma'' Assemblage Zone has been attributed to ''Aelurognathus'', indicating that it scavenged. The bones of the back of the skeleton are the most scattered, suggesting that the ''Aelurognathus'' individuals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aelurosaurus
''Aelurosaurus'' ("cat lizard", from Ancient Greek "cat" and "lizard") is a small, carnivorous, extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids from the Middle Permian to Late Permian of South Africa. It was discovered in the Karoo Basin of South Africa, and first named by Richard Owen in 1881. It was named so because it appeared to be an ancestor for cat-like marsupials, but not yet a mammal itself. It contains five species, ''A. felinus'', ''A. whaitsi, A. polyodon'', ''A. wilmanae, and A.? watermeyeri''.Owen, R. 1881. On the order Theriodontia with a description of a new genus and species (Aelurognathus fel. Ow.). Quat. Jour. Geol. Soc. London. (Vol. 37): 261–265. ''A. felinus'', the type species, is generally well described with established features, while the other four species are not due to their poorly preserved holotypes. __TOC__ Discovery ''Aelurosaurus'' was discovered in 1881 in the Karoo Basin of South Africa. The skull holotype was missing the postorbital region, so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerdorhinus
''Cerdorhinus'' is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids from the Permian of South Africa. The type species ''Cerdorhinus parvidens'' was named by South African paleontologist Robert Broom Robert Broom FRS FRSE (30 November 1866 6 April 1951) was a British- South African doctor and palaeontologist. He qualified as a medical practitioner in 1895 and received his DSc in 1905 from the University of Glasgow. From 1903 to 1910, he ... in 1936. A second species, ''Cerdorhinus rubidgei'', was named in 1937. In 2007, a specimen of the latter was reassigned to the genus '' Cyonosaurus''. References Gorgonopsia Prehistoric therapsid genera Permian synapsids of Africa Fossil taxa described in 1936 Taxa named by Robert Broom {{paleo-therapsid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Permian
The Guadalupian is the second and middle series/epoch of the Permian. The Guadalupian was preceded by the Cisuralian and followed by the Lopingian. It is named after the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico and Texas, and dates between 272.95 ± 0.5 – 259.1 ± 0.4 Mya. The series saw the rise of the therapsids, a minor extinction event called Olson's Extinction and a significant mass extinction called the end-Capitanian extinction event. The Guadalupian was previously known as the Middle Permian. Name and background The Guadalupian is the second and middle series or epoch of the Permian. Previously called Middle Permian, the name of this epoch is part of a revision of Permian stratigraphy for standard global correlation. The name "Guadalupian" was first proposed in the early 1900s, and approved by the International Subcommission on Permian Stratigraphy in 1996. References to the Middle Permian still exist. The Guadalupian was preceded by the Cisuralian and followed by the Lop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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