Arctops ("Bear face") is an extinct genus of gorgonopsian therapsids known from the Late Permian of South Africa. It measured up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in length and its skull was 30 centimetres (12 in) long. The type species is Arctops willistoni. A second species, A. watsoni, may be synonymous with A. willistoni. A. kitchingi may be a third species of Arctops, but it was only tentatively assigned to the genus when it was first named. Both were formally synonymized with A. willistoni by Christian Kammerer in 2017.
Arctops appears to be a medium-sized Gorgonopsid, outsized by larger species like Inostrancevia. It was still an accomplished hunter and probably hunted large and possible armored prey. Its maw would deliver a devastating blow.
Trivia[]
- Arctops is in the game Jurassic World: Alive as a rare cunning animal, and fuses with Acrocanthosaurus