Gorgonops
|
Gorgonops Temporal range: Wuchiapingian, 260–254 Ma |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Life restoration of Gorgonops whaitsi. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Therapsida |
| Family: | †Gorgonopsidae |
| Subfamily: | †Gorgonopsinae |
| Genus: | †Gorgonops |
| Type species | |
|
†Gorgonops torvus Owen, 1876 |
|
| Species | |
|
|
Gorgonops (from Greek Γοργών -Gorgon- and ὤψ -eye, face-, literally "Gorgon' eye" or "Gorgon' face") is an extinct genus of therapsid which lived about 260-254 million years ago, during the Late Permian. It was a typical representative of the suborder Gorgonopsia, the dominant predators of their day, which in the largest forms grew to over three metres long.
Gorgonops itself was a medium-sized representative of the group, with a skull length of 22 to 35 centimetres, depending on the species. It ranged from 1.2 to 2 metres long from nose to tail. Gorgonops would have been one of the key predators across southern Africa during the Late Permian, because the canines were so large, they would have had little trouble in penetrating the tough hides of some of herbivores of the time, particularly pareiasaurs such as Bradysaurus. Aside from the teeth, one of the key predatory advantages that Gorgonops had over prey were that the legs supported the body from below rather than sprawling out to the sides like in most prey animals of the time. Aside from allowing for more energy efficient locomotion, the legs would have also allowed for a much faster pace. What animals were hunted however would depend upon the size of the individual Gorgonops, and there were some quite broad differences between species in terms of size.
Relative to body size, Gorgonops had a deep skull which had a triangular profile when viewed from above. Perhaps the most distinctive features were two enlarged canine teeth that were so big (12-cm long) they almost protruded beyond the lower jaw. To help protect these teeth, the lower jaws grew in such a shape so that the anterior (front) portion was thicker than the posterior (rear) portion. This form would have protected the enlarged canine teeth from accidental damage, and was similar in bone function to the flanges of bone of sabre-toothed cats in the Cenozoic.
Since the publication of the Sigogneau-Russell (1989), the dating of the Karoo Basin (Beaufort Group) has been revised. According to Smith and Keyser 1995, Gorgonops is known from the Tropidostoma and most of the Cistecephalus Assemblage Zones.
...
Wikipedia