Rubidgea
2028920289Rubidgea (†Rubidgea atrox (Broom, 1938))
Order: Therapsida
Clade: †Gorgonopsia
Dimensions: total body lengths reaching up to 3 m, skulls 40- 50 cm long, weight ~200 kg
Temporal range: (South Africa, Late Permian period), 256–253 Ma Ma
Rubidgea is an extinct monospecific genus of carnivorous therapsid from the Late Permian of South Africa and Tanzania. The generic name Rubidgea honours fossil hunter Sidney Rubidge. Its species name, atrox, is derived from Latin, meaning "fierce, savage, terrible". Rubidgea is part of the group of gorgonopsians. Gorgonopsians were the first group of carnivores to develop saber teeth, before the appearance of dinosaurs and mammals. This feature later evolved independently multiple times in different predatory mammal groups, such as machaeroidines, nimravids, thylacosmilids, and machairodonts.
The largest specimen of Rubidgea, had a skull measuring 47.5 cm, making her was one of the largest gorgonopsians. It was likely one of the apex predators of its time and likely competed with large gorgonopsians such as Inostrancevia.
Rubidgea would go extinct shortly before the end of the Permian following a turnover event that separated the lower and upper Daptocephalus Assemblage Zone. This turnover event was thought to have been the result of aridification, with lacustrine floodplains being replaced by well-drained floodplains. The transition saw the disappearance of its prey which led to its extinction. Following its extinction, it was replaced by Inostrancevia in South Africa for the remainder of the Permian.
Rubidgea (†Rubidgea atrox (Broom, 1938))
Order: Therapsida
Clade: †Gorgonopsia
Dimensions: total body lengths reaching up to 3 m, skulls 40- 50 cm long, weight ~200 kg
Temporal range: (South Africa, Late Permian period), 256–253 Ma Ma
Rubidgea is an extinct monospecific genus of carnivorous therapsid from the Late Permian of South Africa and Tanzania. The generic name Rubidgea honours fossil hunter Sidney Rubidge. Its species name, atrox, is derived from Latin, meaning "fierce, savage, terrible". Rubidgea is part of the group of gorgonopsians. Gorgonopsians were the first group of carnivores to develop saber teeth, before the appearance of dinosaurs and mammals. This feature later evolved independently multiple times in different predatory mammal groups, such as machaeroidines, nimravids, thylacosmilids, and machairodonts.
The largest specimen of Rubidgea, had a skull measuring 47.5 cm, making her was one of the largest gorgonopsians. It was likely one of the apex predators of its time and likely competed with large gorgonopsians such as Inostrancevia.
Rubidgea would go extinct shortly before the end of the Permian following a turnover event that separated the lower and upper Daptocephalus Assemblage Zone. This turnover event was thought to have been the result of aridification, with lacustrine floodplains being replaced by well-drained floodplains. The transition saw the disappearance of its prey which led to its extinction. Following its extinction, it was replaced by Inostrancevia in South Africa for the remainder of the Permian.
