Eoarctops

Name: Eoarctops ‭(‬Dawn bear face‭)‬.
Phonetic: E-oh-ark-tops.
Named By: S.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Haughton‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Gorgonopsidae.
Species: E.‭ ‬vanderbyli‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.
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.

       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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