Gorgonopsia

Gorgonopsia is an extinct clade of therapsids that lived during the Middle to Late Permian, roughly 265 to 254 million years ago. They were among the top terrestrial predators of their ecosystems, distinguished by long skulls and especially large upper canine teeth that formed prominent fangs. The saber-like teeth, along with strong jaw muscles, made gorgonopsians effective ambush predators capable of taking prey such as dicynodonts and other therapsids.

Members of the group varied in size, with some species reaching about two to three meters in length. They had sturdy limbs and a build that supported active, though not extremely fast, predation. Skulls in several taxa show crests or ridges that likely related to muscle attachment or display.

Fossils are most abundant in the Karoo Basin of South Africa, but related remains have been found in Russia and other areas, indicating a relatively wide Permian distribution across landmasses of the time. Gorgonopsians went extinct by the end of the Permian, during the Permian-Triassic extinction event, which affected many therapsid groups.

Taxonomically, Gorgonopsia is placed within Therapsida and includes several genera, such as Gorgonops, Inostrancevia, and Rubidgea, grouped into families like Gorgonopsidae. The name derives from the Gorgons of Greek mythology, alluding to their fearsome appearance.