Gorgonopsid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids GorgonopsiaTemporal range: Middle to Late Permian
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Gorgonops | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Suborder: |
†Gorgonopsia
Seeley, 1895
|
| Family: |
†Gorgonopsidae
Lydekker, 1890
|
| Subfamilies | |
|
Gorgonopsinae |
|
The Gorgonopsids were Therapsids, a group of tetrapods which eventually gave rise to the mammals.
Gorgonopsids were a successful group which lived during the Permian period, about 260 million years ago. They became extinct in the Permian–Triassic extinction event.
They were the major predators of their day. They had large, powerful, square-shaped jaws with huge, sabre-like canine and interlaced, socket-like teeth. Many fossils have been found in South Africa.
The largest known, Inostrancevia, was the size of a large bear with a 45 cm long skull, and 12-cm long sabre-like teeth.
The Gorgonopsidae are divided into three sub-families:
- Rubidginae, which had large, broad skulls,
- Gorgonopsinae, which included most of the gorgonopsid genera.
- Inostranceviinae
Images for kids
-
Size comparison between a person and Inostrancevia (reconstructed with long lips and some hair)
-
Gorgonopsian brain reconstruction (A. top, B. side, C. underside)
-
Skull of Aelurosaurus felinus showing tooth arrangement, dual canines, and canine root depth
-
Skeleton of Sauroctonus parringtoni
-
Reconstruction of Gorgonops
-
Reconstruction of the head of an Inostrancevia latifrons, the largest gorgonopsian discovered to date, with a skull measuring 60 cm (24 in).
-
Reconstruction of the head of Eriphostoma microdon, one of the most basal gorgonopsians known from South Africa.
-
Reconstruction of the head of Arctognathus curvimola, a gorgonopsid know from South Africa.
-
Artist's impression of the head of Dinogorgon rubidgei, a rubidgeine known from fossils from South Africa and Tanzania.
-
Tetrapod distribution and temperature belts through the Upper Permian and Early Triassic
-
Smilesaurus ferox has the proportionally longest canines of any gorgonopsian.
-
Reconstruction of a gorgonopsian chasing a herd of Endothiodon, based on the Late Permian Tanzanian Usili Formation
-
Reconstruction of Rubidgea atrox walking with a sprawling gait
-
Gorgonopsian footprint
-
Early mammal (above) vs. pelycosaur (below) jaw configuration with relevance to hearing
-
Inostrancevia hunting Scutosaurus
See also
In Spanish: Gorgonopsia para niños
