It is distinguished by the rod-like shape of a ridge on its lower jaw called the lateral dentary shelf.

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.

[2] Fossils of Gordonia were first found by Scottish naturalist Ramsay Heatley Traquair in 1885, who immediately identified them as belonging to a dicynodont.

[1] Below is a cladogram showing the phylogenetic placement of Gordonia from Kammerer et al. (2011): Interpresosaurus Elph Katumbia Gordonia traquairi Delectosaurus Vivaxosaurus trautscholdi Dicynodon lacerticeps Dicynodon huenei Daptocephalus leoniceps Dinanomodon gilli Peramodon amalitzkii Jimusaria sinkianensis Syops vanhoepeni Euptychognathus bathyrhynchus