page_title: Gordonia (synapsid)
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Gordonia (synapsid) / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Drawing of the skull of Gordonia traquairi, from "Reptiles from the Elgin Sandstone. Description of Two New Genera" by E. T. Newton (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B 185: 573-607).
context_page_description: Gordonia is an extinct genus of dicynodont therapsid from the Late Permian of Scotland. Fossils have been found from the Elgin sandstone of Cutties Hillock Quarry in Elgin, Moray. These are among the many reptile fossils referred to as the Elgin Reptiles. Gordonia was named in 1893 with four species: G. traquairi, G. duffiana, G. huxleyana, and G. juddiana. Currently, the only recognized species is the type G. traquairi. All other species are considered synonyms of the type.
context_section_description: Gordonia is known from several skulls and partial skeletons. It is small-bodied in comparison to other dicynodonts. It is distinguished by the rod-like shape of a ridge on its lower jaw called the lateral dentary shelf. Gordonia has a short snout with tusks that are angled slightly forward. The intertemporal region at the top of the skull is long and narrow and forms a raised sagittal crest. A long intertemporal region is usually associated with larger dicynodonts, making the skull proportions of Gordonia unusual.
caption: Illustration of the skull of Gordonia traquairi, 1893
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