Gorynychus
Genus of therapsids from the mid-Permian of Russia
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Gorynychus is a genus of therocephalian from the mid-Permian from Kotelnich, Russia. The genus contains two species, G. masyutinae and G. sundyrensis. It was named after the three-headed dragon Zmey Gorynych (Змей Горыныч) from Russian mythology.[1][2][3]
| Gorynychus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| Holotype skull of G. masyutinae | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | †Therocephalia |
| Genus: | †Gorynychus Kammerer & Masyutin, 2018 |
| Type species | |
| †Gorynychus masyutinae Kammerer & Masyutin, 2018 | |
| Other species | |
| |
Description
G. masyutinae, only known from its holotype, was wolf-sized and appears to have represented the largest predator in the Kotelnich fauna. Like many theriodonts, it had strongly developed and prominent canine teeth.[1]
Paleoecology
The discovery of such a large therocephalian as the apex predator of its environment coupled with the discovery of a smaller gorgonopsid, the smaller and nocturnal Nochnitsa, in the same formation indicates that a faunal turnover was occurring at the time, with gorgonopsians taking over the therocephalians' role as the dominant predators in their environment.[2]
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