Smilesaurus

Smilesaurus is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian known from Africa. It lived during the Late Permian. It contains the single species S. ferox.[1]

Smilesaurus
Temporal range: Late Permian 259–254 Ma
↓
Holotype skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Therapsida
Suborder: †Gorgonopsia
Genus: †Smilesaurus
Broom, 1948
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

Description

Smilesaurus was a large gorgonopsian, with a skull length of up to 31 centimeters. It is characterized by extremely long canine teeth, and has the proportionally longest canines of any gorgonopsian.[2][1] Unlike other gorgonopsians, which probably hunted similarly to predatory reptiles, Smilesaurus probably was a true saber-toothed predator which hunted using similar tactics to saber-toothed cats.[1] It can be distinguished by other rubidgeines by its lack of cranial pachyostosis and rugosoties, and by its relatively small orbits.[1]

Classification

The classification of Smilesaurus has been disputed. It has often been included in Rubidgeinae, but it differs from other members of the clade considerably.[1] Instead, it may be more closely related to Arctops,[3] a position supported by a phylogenetic analysis in 2018.[4]

Restoration

Below is a cladogram of African gorgonopsians by Kammerer et al. in 2018.[4]

 
 

Eriphostoma

 
 
 

Gorgonops

 
 
 

Arctognathus

 
 

Lycaenops

 
 
 

Smilesaurus

 
 

Arctops

 
 
Rubidgeinae
 

Aelurognathus

 
 
 

Ruhuhucerberus

 
 
 

Sycosaurus

 
Rubidgeini
 

Leontosaurus

 
 
 

Dinogorgon

 
 
 

Clelandina

 
 

Rubidgea

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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See also

References
  1. Kammerer, Christian F. (2016). "Systematics of the Rubidgeinae (Therapsida: Gorgonopsia)". PeerJ. 4: e1608. doi:10.7717/peerj.1608. PMC 4730894. PMID 26823998.
  2. Broom, Robert (1947). "A contribution to our knowledge of the vertebrates of the Karroo Beds of South Africa". Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 61 (2): 577–629. doi:10.1017/S0080456800004865.
  3. Sigogneau-Russell, Denise (1989). Wellnhofer, Peter (ed.). Theriodontia I: Phthinosuchia, Biarmosuchia, Eotitanosuchia, Gorgonopsia. Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology. 17 B/I. Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer Verlag. ISBN 3437304879.
  4. Kammerer, Christian F.; Masyutin, Vladimir (2016). "Gorgonopsian therapsids (Nochnitsa gen. nov. and Viatkogorgon) from the Permian Kotelnich locality of Russia". PeerJ. 6: e4954. doi:10.7717/peerj.4954. PMC 5995105. PMID 29900078.


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