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Description
Another drawing for Synapsid Week (youtu.be/ztN6-pmxJns ). As the sun sets on what is now European Russia 255 million years ago during the late Permian period, two apex predators of the local ecosystem have lied down peacefully next to each other without conflict. Inostrancevia alexandri, a 3.5-meter long gorgonopsid (on the right) and Megawhaitsia patrichae, a 3-meter long therocephalian, would normally compete against each other for prey or territory, but this evening the two tolerate the presence of each other and rest on the same rock.

Inspired by various known cases of predator gregariousness in extant animals, which is when predatory animals that would normally compete with each other peacefully coexist with each other instead. Like for example this bear and wolf (www.boredpanda.com/bear-friend… ). I was thinking instead of drawing these two synapsids brawling against each other over a carcass or something, I'd show something more peaceful instead and draw this.

One of the most popular of the non-mammalian synapsids, Inostrancevia is a genus of gorgopsid believed to be the largest of the family, growing 3.5 meters long (Leogorgon is now thought to be an invalid chimaera and doesn't count) and has appeared in various media (but often identified only as a gorgonopsid for some reason). Like other gorgonopsids, it had a pair of unusually long canine teeth that would probably be used to kill prey, and gorgonopsids are often deemed the oldest known "sabre-toothed" animals (though it is quite possible that the sabres were concealed by lips when the mouth was closed, but you can avoid controversy by drawing it yawning). It was quite certainly a top predator of its environment, though it may have had competition from Megawhaitsia.

Megawhaitsia is only known from a partial skull that would have been around 50 centimeters long when intact, making it one of the largest known members of the suborder Therocephalia. The therocephalians existed from the Permian to the Triassic and came in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from badger-sized creatures to the bear-sized Megawhaitsia. Like most therocephalians, this animal was a predator and given its large size it would've been able to prey on almost every herbivore it lived alongside. Another therocephalian, Euchambersia, shows signs that it may have been able to deliver venom through its fangs, and this may have been true for some other members of the group. As if a bear-sized superpredator wasn't dangerous enough, it may even have been venomous (though I wouldn't full-on say it certainly was, if anyone remembers what happened with Sinornithosaurus) .

And yes I depicted both these animals with fur. I get that the integument if non-mammalian synapsids is a controversial topic but given how Therocephalia and Gorgonopsidae were both parts of the clade Theriodontia, which includes cynodonts and true mammals, I think they probably did have fur.

Description
Another drawing for Synapsid Week (youtu.be/ztN6-pmxJns ). As the sun sets on what is now European Russia 255 million years ago during the late Permian period, two apex predators of the local ecosystem have lied down peacefully next to each other without conflict. Inostrancevia alexandri, a 3.5-meter long gorgonopsid (on the right) and Megawhaitsia patrichae, a 3-meter long therocephalian, would normally compete against each other for prey or territory, but this evening the two tolerate the presence of each other and rest on the same rock.

Inspired by various known cases of predator gregariousness in extant animals, which is when predatory animals that would normally compete with each other peacefully coexist with each other instead. Like for example this bear and wolf (www.boredpanda.com/bear-friend… ). I was thinking instead of drawing these two synapsids brawling against each other over a carcass or something, I'd show something more peaceful instead and draw this.

One of the most popular of the non-mammalian synapsids, Inostrancevia is a genus of gorgopsid believed to be the largest of the family, growing 3.5 meters long (Leogorgon is now thought to be an invalid chimaera and doesn't count) and has appeared in various media (but often identified only as a gorgonopsid for some reason). Like other gorgonopsids, it had a pair of unusually long canine teeth that would probably be used to kill prey, and gorgonopsids are often deemed the oldest known "sabre-toothed" animals (though it is quite possible that the sabres were concealed by lips when the mouth was closed, but you can avoid controversy by drawing it yawning). It was quite certainly a top predator of its environment, though it may have had competition from Megawhaitsia.

Megawhaitsia is only known from a partial skull that would have been around 50 centimeters long when intact, making it one of the largest known members of the suborder Therocephalia. The therocephalians existed from the Permian to the Triassic and came in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from badger-sized creatures to the bear-sized Megawhaitsia. Like most therocephalians, this animal was a predator and given its large size it would've been able to prey on almost every herbivore it lived alongside. Another therocephalian, Euchambersia, shows signs that it may have been able to deliver venom through its fangs, and this may have been true for some other members of the group. As if a bear-sized superpredator wasn't dangerous enough, it may even have been venomous (though I wouldn't full-on say it certainly was, if anyone remembers what happened with Sinornithosaurus) .

And yes I depicted both these animals with fur. I get that the integument if non-mammalian synapsids is a controversial topic but given how Therocephalia and Gorgonopsidae were both parts of the clade Theriodontia, which includes cynodonts and true mammals, I think they probably did have fur.