In the age of dinosaurs, numerous marine reptiles had extremely long necks compared to reptiles today. These marine reptiles most likely possessed stiffened necks and waited to ambush their victim. The findings confirm earlier analyses that the ancient reptiles necks represent an entirely special evolutionary structure that was much narrower and stiffer than those of long-necked plesiosaurs, according to the scientists. They also reveal that developing a long neck as a sea reptile came with possible disadvantages. They keep in mind, lengthened necks were plainly a highly effective evolutionary technique, discovered in numerous different marine reptiles over a time span of 175 million years.
Creative performance of the decapitation scene of Tanystropheus hydroides. Credit: Roc Olivé (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)/ FECYT.
Fossil evidence reveals that the long necks of the ancient marine reptiles, Tanystropheus, made them vulnerable to predators. The study discovered bite marks on the necks of the fossils, providing the very first direct proof of this long-suspected evolutionary downside despite their survival success over a period of 175 million years.
In the age of dinosaurs, numerous marine reptiles had very long necks compared to reptiles today. While it was clearly a successful evolutionary strategy, paleontologists have long thought that their long-necked bodies made them vulnerable to predators. Now, after practically 200 years of continued research study, direct fossil evidence confirms this circumstance for the very first time in the most graphic method imaginable.
The species had actually unique necks composed of 13 very extended vertebrae and strut-like ribs. These marine reptiles most likely had stiffened necks and waited to assail their prey.
Careful evaluation of their fossilized bones now reveals that the necks of 2 existing specimens representing various types with severed necks have clear bite marks on them, in one case right where the neck was broken. The findings provide exceptionally uncommon and gruesome proof for predator-prey interactions in the fossil record returning over 240 million years ago, the researchers state.
” Paleontologists hypothesized that these long necks formed an apparent vulnerable point for predation, as was currently vividly portrayed nearly 200 years ago in a famous painting by Henry de la Beche from 1830,” said Stephan Spiekman of the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany. “Nevertheless, there was no proof of decapitation– or any other sort of attack targeting the neck– understood from the abundant fossil record of long-necked marine reptiles till our present research study on these two specimens of Tanystropheus.”.
Spiekman had studied these reptiles as the primary subject of his doctoral work at the Paleontological Museum of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, where the specimens are housed. He recognized that two species of Tanystropheus resided in the very same environment, one small types, about a meter and a half in length, most likely feeding on soft-shelled animals like shrimp, and a much bigger species of as much as 6 meters long that eaten fish and squid. He likewise found clear evidence in the shape of the skull that Tanystropheus most likely spent most of its time in the water.
It had actually been popular that two specimens of these species had unspoiled heads and necks that suddenly ended. It had actually been speculated that these necks were bitten off, however no one had actually studied this in information. In the new study, Spiekman coordinated with Eudald Mujal, likewise of the Stuttgart Museum, and a research associate at the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Spain, who is a professional on fossil conservation and predatory interactions in the fossil record based upon bite traces on bones. After an afternoon spent analyzing the 2 specimens in Zurich, they concluded that the necks had clearly been bitten off.
” Something that caught our attention is that the skull and portion of the neck protected are undisturbed, only showing some disarticulation due to the normal decay of a carcass in a peaceful environment,” Mujal said. “Only the neck and head are maintained; there is no evidence whatsoever of the rest of the animals. The necks end quickly, suggesting they were completely severed by another animal during a particularly violent occasion, as the presence of tooth traces evinces.”.
” The reality that the head and neck are so undisturbed recommends that when they reached the location of their last burial, the bones were still covered by soft tissues like muscle and skin,” Mujal continued. “They were clearly not eaten by the predator. This is speculative, it would make sense that the predators were less interested in the slim neck and little head, and instead focused on the much meatier parts of the body. Taken together, these elements make it more than likely that both people were decapitated throughout the hunt and not scavenged, although scavenging can never ever be totally omitted in fossils that are this old.”.
” Interestingly, the very same situation– although certainly executed by various predators– played out for both specimens, which keep in mind, represent people of 2 various Tanystropheus types, which are really different in size and perhaps way of life,” Spiekman states.
The findings confirm earlier interpretations that the ancient reptiles necks represent a completely distinct evolutionary structure that was much narrower and stiffer than those of long-necked plesiosaurs, according to the scientists. They also reveal that evolving a long neck as a sea reptile featured prospective disadvantages. Nonetheless, they keep in mind, lengthened necks were clearly an extremely effective evolutionary technique, discovered in many different marine reptiles over a time period of 175 million years.
” In a really broad sense, our research study when again reveals that advancement is a game of trade-offs,” Spiekman states. “The advantage of having a long neck clearly outweighed the risk of being targeted by a predator for an extremely long time. Even Tanystropheus itself was rather effective in evolutionary terms, living for at least 10 million years and taking place in what is now Europe, the Middle East, China, North America, and possibly South America.”.
Recommendation: “Decapitation in the long-necked reptile Tanystropheus (Archosauromorpha, Tanystropheidae)” by Spiekman et al., 19 June 2023, Current Biology.DOI: 10.1016/ j.cub.2023.04.027.
This work was supported by the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología– Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Generalitat de Catalunya.
