abbyhoward

Extinct creatures: Lycaenops

Added 2017-06-15 19:37:32 +0000 UTC

Speaking of "mammal-like reptiles", here's an example of one of my absolute favorites-- Lycaenops, which is a kind of Gorgonopsid. Gorgonopsids were medium to large predators that lived near the end of the Permian, which is the time right before the age of the dinosaurs. They're usually reconstructed with no fur because we aren't really sure how far back fur evolved, though we know other mammal-like reptiles in this time had fur, so like... who knows!! Maybe they just had a very fine coat of hair that doesn't preserve well, we may never know. Might as well have some fun and give 'em adorable whiskers.

I chose Lycaenops out of all the species of Gorgonopsids because it is very cute, but there are many other wonderful Gorgonopsids as well, such as Inostrancevia, the largest yet found at 12 feet long. The world before the dinosaurs was full of such cool animals!

Gorgonopsids all had big ol fangs, and tend to be reconstructed with said huge fangies outside their mouths like tusks. But a lot of creatures in our time (like big cats and baboons) have huge fangies that slide into sheaths in the lips when the mouth is closed, so it seems more likely that this would be the case for Gorgonopsids! I consulted with someone who is much more knowledgeable in the ways of "mammal-like reptiles" so you know I have the Backing of the Scientific Community on this theory.

So that's your new best friend Lycaenops. See ya next week!!

-Abby