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Smilesaurus ferox

Smilesaurus
Temporal range: Late Permian 259–254 Ma
Smilesaurus.png
Holotype skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Therapsida
Family: Gorgonopsidae
Subfamily: Rubidgeinae
Genus: Smilesaurus
Type species
Smilesaurus ferox
Broom, 1948
Synonyms

Genus level

  • Pardocephalus Broom, 1948

Species level

  • Pardocephalus wallacei Broom, 1948
  • Smilesaurus maccabei Broom, 1948
  • Aelurognathus ferox Gebauer, 2007

Genus level

Species level

Smilesaurus is an extinct genus of rubidgeine gorgonopsian known from Africa. It lived during the Late Permian. It contains the single species S. ferox.

Smilesaurus was a large gorgonopsian, with a skull length of up to 31 centimeters. It can be distinguished by other rubidgeines by its lack of cranial pachyostosis and rugosoties, and by its relatively small orbits.

Smilesaurus is the basalmost known member of Rubidgeinae.

Below is a cladogram by Kammerer et al. in 2016.

Smilesaurus ferox

Aelurognathus tigriceps

Ruhuhucerberus haughtoni

Sycosaurus laticeps

Sycosaurus nowaki

Leontosaurus vanderhosti

Dinogorgon rubidgei

Rubidgea atrox

Clelandina rubidgei


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Wikipedia

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