Batterymaster on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/batterymaster/art/The-Hellhound-of-the-South-742209234Batterymaster

Deviation Actions

Batterymaster's avatar

The Hellhound of the South

Published:
5.2K Views

Description

A speculative reconstruction of Rubidgea, a huge gorgonopsian that lived in Karoo's Cistecephalus Assemblage Zone during the Lopingian Epoch (Late Permian). The species depicted here is R. atrox.

(I apologize for the generic stamped-on cloud stock images, I hate how bad my clouds look. Lol)

I am very proud of this one. I used a different coloring technique for this piece, and it allowed me to add smoother transitions between colors. I'm definitely going to be using it more often because it gives very satisfying results. Enjoy!

Rubidgea atrox is a large bear-sized ambush predator, and is only a little smaller than Inostrancevia. However, its skull is wider and sturdier, which indicates that it was much more robust and powerfully built than its northern relative. Not only that, but its canines were also the longest of any gorgonopsian, being roughly as long, if not longer than the teeth of T. rex from root to crown. With these adaptations, it was basically the Paleozoic equivalent of a machairodont felid, specializing in taking down large-bodied prey using its powerful head and muscular body, finishing the job with its cruel sabers. It is a member of the subfamily Rubidgeini, which are recognized for their similarly robust builds. Uniquely, unlike other gorgonopsians, Rubidgea and other rubidgeines had cornified bosses on their brows, cheeks and lower jaw that serve an unknown purpose. I'd think that these bosses would help protect the face during scuffles with other members of its species.

Like Inostrancevia alexandri, Rubidgea atrox would have very likely been the apex predator of its ecosystem. It wouldn't have had much competition outside of Dinogorgon (another genus of rubidgeine), which was a bit smaller and had shorter sabers. This large sire is trodding along the Karoo floodplains on one of the first days of spring. The horsetails in the distance have yet to regrow their leaves.
Image size
2560x1600px 3.85 MB
© 2018 - 2024 Batterymaster
Comments16
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
SilverDragon234's avatar

I bet this Rubi is a tom looking for a spot at the collection of lakes and ponds to cool down.