Eoarctops

E-oh-ark-tops.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Eoarctops ‭(‬Dawn bear face‭)‬.

Phonetic

E-oh-ark-tops.

Named By

S.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Haughton‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Gorgonopsidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬vanderbyli‭

Size

Skull‭ ‬13‭ ‬centimetres long.‭ ‬Length possibly around the‭ ‬50‭ ‬centimetre mark.

Known locations

South Africa.

Time Period

Capitanian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

Skull.

In Depth

       Named from a thirteen centimetre long skull,‭ ‬Eoarctops seems to have been a particularly small genus of gorgonopsid.‭ ‬The skull is noted for being particularly broad at the back with a short snout,‭ ‬suggesting morphological adaptations for a proportionately high bite for tis size.‭ ‬This is because there would be room for larger jaw closing muscles as well as food being placed nearer the point of jaw articulation allowing for force from the muscles to be more directly focused upon biting.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On some new therapsid genera‭ ‬-‭ ‬Annals of the South African Museum,‭ ‬v.‭ ‬28,‭ ‬n.‭ ‬1,‭ ‬p.‭ ‬55-78.‭ ‬-‭ ‬S.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Haughton‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929. -‭ ‬A classification of therapsid reptiles‭ ‬-‭ ‬Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology‭ ‬114‭ (‬2‭)‬:‭ ‬35‭–‬89.‭ ‬-‭ ‬D.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Watson‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Romer‭ ‬-‭ ‬1956.

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