Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

Gorgonopsia (Gorgon face)

A suborder of therapsid synapsids

A number of characteristics put them well on the way to evolving into mammals - heterodont teeth (teeth differentiated into incisors, canines and molars, pillar-like legs, that were located under the body, a fully developed temporal fenestra and ear bones. They are members of the group of the therapsids called theriodonts, the group that includes mammals. Among the largest carnivores of the Late Permian, the largest known was Inostrancevia. This animal was about the size of a large bear with a skull 45 cm long and large canines that were 12 cm long.

Sources & Further reading

1. Michael J. Benton Ph D, The Reign of the Reptiles, Quarto Publishing, 1990

Links

1. Gorgonopsid images
2. Gorganopsida