Sauroctonus
Sauroctonus Temporal range:
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Sauroctonus parringtoni | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Clade: | Therapsida |
Clade: | †Gorgonopsia |
Family: | †Gorgonopsidae |
Subfamily: | †Gorgonopsinae |
Genus: | †Sauroctonus Bystrow, 1955 |
Species | |
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Sauroctonus is an extinct genus of therapsids. Sauroctonus progressus was a large (2 m long) gorgonopsid that lived in the Late Permian epoch before the Permian-Triassic extinction event that wiped out many life forms on Earth (259-254 million years ago). Its fossils have been found in the Usili Formation () of Tanzania and the of the of Russia.
Sauroctonus's flattened, triangular skull was about 25 centimeters long, with a parietal eye, a primitive character, on the crown. The upper and lower jaw each contained one pair of massive canine teeth (the upper pair was larger); the other teeth were smaller, but were also sharp and pointed. In addition, minute, blunt teeth were present on the palatine bones. The lower jaw was widened to form a kind of chin. The long, lightly built, five-toed limbs bore a resemblance to mammals' limbs, but despite its 'mammalian' characteristics, Sauroctonus was not one of the ancestors of mammals. Based on its cranial and skeletal features, Sauroctonus was not as specialized as other gorgonopsids such as Rubidgea or Inostrancevia.[1]
Species[]
There are two recognized species of Sauroctonus: S. progressus and S. parringtoni.[2]
Gallery[]
Sauroctonus parringtoni
Sauroctonus progressus
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Anton, Mauricio (2013). Sabertooth.
- ^ Gebauer E I, 2014. Re-assessment of the taxonomic position of the specimen GPIT/RE/7113 (Sauroctonus parringtoni comb. nov., Gorgonopsia). In: Kammerer C F, Angielczyk K D, Fröbisch J eds. Early Evolutionary History of the Synapsida. Dordrecht: Springer. 185−207.
Further reading[]
- Benes, Josef. Prehistoric Animals and Plants. Pg. 95. Prague: Artia, 1979.
External links[]
- http://tobias-lib.ub.uni-tuebingen.de/volltexte/2007/2935/pdf/Eva_Gebauer.pdf[permanent dead link]
- Gorgonopsia
- Prehistoric therapsid genera
- Lopingian synapsids of Africa
- Fossils of Tanzania
- Prehistoric synapsids of Europe
- Fossils of Russia
- Lopingian genus first appearances
- Lopingian genus extinctions
- Fossil taxa described in 1955
- Prehistoric therapsid stubs
- Permian animal stubs