Inostrancevia

Name:

Inostrancevia (after Russian geologist Alexander Inostrantsev); pronounced in-oh-stran-SEE-vee-ah

Habitat:

Woodlands of Eurasia

Historical Period:

Late Permian (250 million years ago)

Size and Weight:

About 10 feet long and 500-1,000 pounds

Diet:

Small animals

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Large size; sharp teeth

About Inostrancevia:

Inostrancevia's claim to fame is that it's the largest "gorgonopsid" therapsid yet discovered, a 10-foot-long Permian reptile that looked ahead to the large dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era, which was just around the corner, geologically speaking. As well-adapted as it must have been to its Siberian environment, though, Inostrancevia and its fellow gorgonopsids (such as Gorgonops and Lycaenops) didn't make it past the Permian-Triassic boundary, though the smaller therapsids to which it was related went on to spawn the first mammals.