The Wakayama Soryu, a mosasaur discovered in Japan and equivalent in size to an excellent white shark, lived 72 million years ago with special functions like elongated rear flippers and a shark-like dorsal fin. This considerable discover, called Megapterygius wakayamaensis, difficulties previous assumptions about mosasaur swimming and hunting behaviors (Artists principle). Credit: SciTechDaily.comThe Wakayama Soryu, a recently described mosasaur known as the “blue dragon,” possessed a shark-like dorsal fin.Researchers have detailed a mosasaur from Japan, comparable in size to an excellent white shark, that dominated the Pacific waters 72 million years ago.The extended length of its rear flippers likely boosted propulsion, operating in tandem with its elongated finned tail. Unlike other mosasaurs or large extinct marine reptiles, this types had a shark-like dorsal fin that would have assisted it turn rapidly and with accuracy in the water.University of Cincinnati Associate Professor Takuya Konishi and his worldwide co-authors described the mosasaur and put it in a taxonomic context in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.The mosasaur was called for the place where it was discovered, Wakayama Prefecture. Researchers call it the Wakayama Soryu, which suggests blue dragon. Dragons are creatures of legend in Japanese folklore, Konishi said.The Wakayama Soryu (Blue Dragon) was a mosasaur the size of a fantastic white shark that lived 72 million years ago off what is now Japan. Credit: Takumi”In China, dragons make thunder and live in the sky. They ended up being aquatic in Japanese mythology,” he said.Unique Features and Classification ChallengesThe specimen was found along the Aridagawa River in Wakayama by co-author Akihiro Misaki in 2006. The specimen is the most complete skeleton of a mosasaur ever found in Japan or the northwestern Pacific, Konishi stated.”In this case, it was nearly the whole specimen, which was astonishing,” Konishi said.He has dedicated his career to studying these ancient marine reptiles. The Japanese specimen has unique features that defies easy category, he stated. Its rear flippers are longer than its front ones. These massive flippers are even longer than its crocodile-like head, which is special among mosasaurs.”I thought I knew them rather well by now,” Konishi stated. “Immediately it was something I had actually never seen before.”University of Cincinnati associate teacher Takuya Konishi has actually studied mosasaurs and other prehistoric animals for more than 15 years. Credit: Joseph Fuqua IIApex Predators of the Prehistoric OceansMosasaurs were apex predators in ancient oceans from about 100 million years ago to 66 million years ago. They were contemporaries of Tyrannosaurus rex and other late Cretaceous dinosaurs that ruled the Earth. Mosasaurs were victims of the very same mass termination that exterminated almost all dinosaurs when an asteroid struck what is now the Gulf of Mexico.Researchers positioned the specimen in the subfamily Mosasaurinae and named it Megapterygius wakayamaensis to acknowledge where it was discovered. Megapterygius means “large winged” in keeping with the mosasaurs enormous flippers.Konishi said those big paddle-shaped flippers may have been used for locomotion. However that kind of swimming would be remarkable not just amongst mosasaurs but amongst practically all other animals.”We do not have any modern-day analog that has this type of body morphology– from fish to penguins to sea turtles,” he said. “None has four large flippers they use in conjunction with a tail fin.”Researchers hypothesized that the large front fins may have aided with rapid maneuvering while its large rear fins might have supplied pitch to dive or surface. And presumably like other mosasaurs, its tail would have generated fast and effective velocity as it hunted fish.”It opens a whole can of worms that challenges our understanding of how mosasaurs swim,” Konishi said.Reference: “A brand-new obtained mosasaurine (Squamata: Mosasaurinae) from south-western Japan exposes unexpected postcranial variety amongst hydropedal mosasaurs” by Takuya Konishi, Masaaki Ohara, Akihiro Misaki, Hiroshige Matsuoka, Hallie P. Street and Michael W. Caldwell, 11 December 2023, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.DOI: 10.1080/ 14772019.2023.2277921 The study was moneyed by NSERC.
Credit: SciTechDaily.comThe Wakayama Soryu, a newly described mosasaur understood as the “blue dragon,” had a shark-like dorsal fin.Researchers have detailed a mosasaur from Japan, similar in size to a terrific white shark, that controlled the Pacific waters 72 million years ago.The extended length of its rear flippers likely enhanced propulsion, working in tandem with its extended finned tail. Unlike other mosasaurs or large extinct marine reptiles, this species possessed a shark-like dorsal fin that would have helped it turn quickly and with precision in the water.University of Cincinnati Associate Professor Takuya Konishi and his worldwide co-authors described the mosasaur and put it in a taxonomic context in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.The mosasaur was called for the place where it was found, Wakayama Prefecture. Dragons are animals of legend in Japanese folklore, Konishi said.The Wakayama Soryu (Blue Dragon) was a mosasaur the size of an excellent white shark that lived 72 million years ago off what is now Japan.”It opens a whole can of worms that challenges our understanding of how mosasaurs swim,” Konishi said.Reference: “A brand-new obtained mosasaurine (Squamata: Mosasaurinae) from south-western Japan exposes unanticipated postcranial diversity amongst hydropedal mosasaurs” by Takuya Konishi, Masaaki Ohara, Akihiro Misaki, Hiroshige Matsuoka, Hallie P. Street and Michael W. Caldwell, 11 December 2023, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.DOI: 10.1080/ 14772019.2023.2277921 The study was funded by NSERC.
