Aelurosaurus

Aelurosaurus Temporal range:Lopingian(WuchiapingiantoChanghsingian),
Holotype skull ofA. felinus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Clade:	Therapsida
Clade:	†Gorgonopsia
Genus:	†Aelurosaurus Owen,1881
Species
†A. felinusOwen, 1881 (type) †A. whaitsiBroom,1911 †A. polyodonBroom,1935[originallyGalerhinus polyodon] †A. wilmanaeBroom,1940[originallyAelurosauroides wilmanae] †A.? watermeyeriBroom,1940
Synonyms
AelurosauroidesBoonstra, 1934 AelurosauropsisHaughton and Brink, 1954 GalerhinusBroom, 1935

Aelurosaurus( "cat lizard", fromAncient Greekαἴλουρος"cat" andσαῦρος"lizard" ) is a small,carnivorous,extinct genus ofgorgonopsiantherapsidsfrom theLate PermianofSouth Africa.It was discovered in the Karoo Basin of South Africa, and first named byRichard Owenin 1881. It was named so because it appeared to be an ancestor for cat-like marsupials, but not yet a mammal itself.It contains five species,A. felinus,A. whaitsi, A. polyodon,A. wilmanae, and A.? watermeyeri.A. felinus,the type species, is generally well described with established features, while the other four species are not due to their poorly preserved holotypes.

Discovery

Aelurosauruswas discovered in 1881 in theKaroo Basinof South Africa. The skullholotypewas missing the postorbital region, so Owen was left to describe the anterior portion. After examining the sutures and teeth, he assumed the first specimen to be from an older, adultAelurosaurus,seeing that they were no longer in perfect condition.

Species

Restoration ofA. felinus

A. felinus

Originally described by Owen, the orbit is a 2.5 centimeters by 2 centimeters ellipse, and the nostril 1.3 centimeters wide and 0.9 centimeters long. The upper jaw has a maximum width of roughly 3.5 centimeters just below the orbits. At a little more than 7.5 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide, the mandible spans almost the entirety of the skull. This particular specimen was preserved with the mouth closed, with the upper teeth fully covering the mandibular teeth. On the upper jaw, there are five incisors, a gap of 0.8 centimeters, acanine(1.2 centimeters exposed, roughly 3.6 centimeters in total length), another 0.8 centimeter gap, and then five molars. After Owen removed the alveolar wall of the upper maxillary canine, he exposed the mandibular canine, which he found to be the same size as the maxillary.The semicircular canal found onA. felinusand all other gorgonopsians suggests that their heads were ventrally tilted, a characteristic ofpredators.

While Owen had originally assumed the holotype to be the skull of an adult, it has been argued that it was actually the skull of a juvenile. Owen only attributed its old age to the state of its sutures and teeth, while others noticed features indicating a young age, including its "...short snout, large orbits, slender postcanine teeth, tooth replacement, numerous small postcanine teeth, well developed foramina, large supraorbital portion of the frontal, anteriorly situated preparietal, slender skull arches, narrow vomer, well developed palatal tuberosities, teeth on transverse apophyses, large ectopterygoids, slender mandible, [and] open symphysis".

A. whaitsi

First described by Robert Broom in 1911. The holotype ofA. whaitsiis another skull, but mostly snout, with the main indicator being a flatter symphysis. Its classification went back and forth throughout the entire century since it has very few defining features, all of which could be juvenile features of other genera.

A. polyodon

First described by Broom in 1935. The holotype ofA.polyodonis a crushed snout. Originally namedGalerhinuspolyodon,it was renamedAelurosauruspolyodonin 1970.

A. wilmanae

First described by Broom in 1940. The holotype is a skull that is the best preserved of all theAelurosaurusspecies. The defining feature is a larger snout compared to A. felinus, but overall the skull is still small at just 11 centimeters long.

A.? watermeyeri

First described by Broom in 1940. The holotype is a skull, and was originally namedScylacocephaluswatermeyeri.The genus is still under debate, since it shares features with bothAelurosaurus(such as a large orbit and short snout) andAloposaurus(such as larger preparietal and postfrontal).

Geology/Paleoenvironment

Aelurosaurus felinuswas originally obtained in the Gough, of the Karoo Basin of South Africa, which includes theTapinocephalusandPristerognathus AssemblageZones.These assemblage zones are a part of theBeaufort Groupand span from the Middle Perimian to the Late Permian.The stratigraphic composition of the Beaufort Group include siltstone, mudstone, and sandstone beds, with evidence of rivers flowing across the land in semi-arid conditions. Findings of densecoprolitesconsisting of bones suggest that predators lived near these rivers.

While most gorgonopsians have been recovered from the Karoo Basin in South Africa, there have been recent discoveries of gorgonopsians in Russia's Vyazniki Assemblage as well.