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This Triassic creature is thought to be highly adapted to marine life, with 32 separate neck vertebrae, finned limbs, and a well-preserved fish found in its abdomen. I did.
Friday 23 February 2024 11:27 UK
The first full-length portrait of a 240-million-year-old marine reptile with an unusually long neck that has been compared to a “Chinese dragon” has been unveiled.
The fossil of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis was first discovered in the southern province of Guizhou. China In 2003.
After discovering other, more complete specimens, scientists were able to present a complete description of the creature.
dinosaurThis animal, which lived during the Triassic period, had 32 separate neck vertebrae and finned limbs.
An international team of researchers found a well-preserved fish in its stomach region, suggesting that the fish was very well adapted to marine life.
Nick Fraser, from the National Museum Scotland“This discovery allows us to see, for the first time, the entire body of this amazing long-necked animal,” he, who is part of the international team that studied the fossil, said in a statement.
“This is another example of the strange and wonderful world of the Triassic that continues to baffle paleontologists.
“With its striking appearance reminiscent of the long, serpentine dragon of Chinese mythology, we are confident it will capture imaginations around the world.”
The long neck of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis has been compared to that of Tanystropheus hydrides, another marine reptile that lived in the Middle Triassic period of Europe and China.
Both reptiles are similar in size and have some common skull features, but Dinocephalosaurus has many vertebrae in both its neck and torso, making it more snake-like.
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Researchers from Scotland, Germany, the United States and China participated in a 10-year study of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Despite superficial similarities, dinocephalosaurus was closely related to the famous long-necked plesiosaur, which evolved some 40 million years later and is thought to have been the inspiration for the Loch Ness Monster. There was no.
Professor Li Chun from the institute said the international team “used the newly discovered specimen, which is kept at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to build on existing knowledge about this animal.”
“Among the amazing discoveries we have made in the Triassic of Guizhou, Dinocephalosaurus probably stands out as the most remarkable.”
A paper describing this animal is published in Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions Of The Royal Society Of Edinburgh.
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