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☆ Ancient fossils lead to discovery of largest known marine reptile
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Dr. Dean Lomax, Ruby Reynolds, Justin Reynolds and Paul de la Salle (from left) are shown with the fossil discovery in 2020. “To think that my discovery in 2016 would spark so much interest in these enormous creatures fills me with joy,” de la Salle said. I am overjoyed.”Together, the Reynoldses, Lomax, de la Salle and others returned to Blue Anchor to search for additional fragments. The nearly complete giant jawbone is shown along with the jawbone (middle and bottom) found by Paul de la Salle in 2016. Sergey KrasovskiyThe discovery made by the Reynoldses and de la Salle will soon be displayed at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery in the UK.

Persons: Ichthyotitan, Justin, Ruby Reynolds, Marcello Perillo, Dean Lomax, Justin Reynolds, Paul de la, Lomax, De la Salle, “, de, Ruby, ” Lomax, Paul de, ”, ichthyosaurs, Perillo, ” Perillo, Mary Anning, Joseph, Sergey Krasovskiy, ” Ruby Reynolds, Paul Organizations: CNN, University of Bonn, Paul de la Salle, University of Manchester, University of Bristol, Salle, la Salle, de la Salle, Bristol Museum, Art Locations: Somerset, Braunton, England, , Somerset, Germany, United Kingdom, Devon, Lilstock, Canada, China

☆ Scientists unveil 240-million-year-old ‘dragon’ fossil
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Newly-discovered fossils have allowed scientists to reveal a 240-million-year-old “dragon” in its entirety for the first ever time, National Museums Scotland (NMS) said in a statement on Friday. An artist's rendition of the ancient marine creature. Marlene DonellyNow, newer fossils indicate that the creature had 32 vertebrae, creating an extremely long neck that likely helped it to catch fish, though scientists are still unsure of its precise function. “I’m still baffled by the function of the long neck,” Fraser said. They added that the Dinocephalosaurus’ long neck resembled another ancient, and equally baffling, marine reptile Tanystropheus hydroides.

Persons: Dr Nick Fraser, “, Li Chun, Fraser, Chun, Marlene Donelly, “ I’m, ” Fraser, ” Organizations: CNN, National Museums Scotland, National Sciences, Environmental, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Vertebrate Locations: China, NMS, Scotland, Germany, USA, Palaeoanthropology, Beijing, Guizhou Province

☆ New fossils reveal specialized eating technique of unusual ancient marine reptile
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An unusual ancient marine reptile may have gulped down tons of shrimplike prey using a feeding technique similar to one used by some modern whales. Fang et al/Courtesy University of BristolBut there hasn’t been much evidence in the fossil record for ancient reptiles using filter feeding, until now. These structures are similar to what’s seen in baleen whales, which have strips of keratin instead of teeth. “Baleen whales have grooves along the jaws to support curtains of baleen, long thin strips of keratin, the protein that makes hair, feathers and fingernails. It’s possible that the marine reptile didn’t start out with this ability.

Persons: Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, ”, Long Cheng, et, Li Tian, Hupehsuchus, Zichen Fang, Michael Benton, It’s Organizations: CNN, BMC, Wuhan Center, China Geological Survey, University of Bristol, China University of Geosciences, University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences Locations: China, Hubei province, China University of Geosciences Wuhan

☆ Big-headed Jurassic sea turtle’s fossil is the most complete ever found
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Few complete fossils of this Jurassic sea turtle, named Solnhofia parsonsi, have been discovered. Today’s marine turtle species all have elongated, rigid flippers to propel them through the ocean depths. But the newly described fossil’s limbs were stumpier than those of modern sea turtles relative to its body size. An artistic reconstruction shows the extinct sea turtle in its coastal marine environment. The newly described fossil presents a far more complete view of those limbs, showing that they differed dramatically from the extremities of sea turtles alive today.

Persons: Solnhofia, parsonsi, ”, Felix Augustin, Augustin, Márton Rabi, Peter Nickolaus S, ” Augustin, Rabi, ” Rabi, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, geosciences, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen’s, Scientific Locations: Europe, Germany, Bavaria, Switzerland

☆ Size of Jurassic sea giant found, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The findings from the Late Jurassic period, though fragmentary, suggest the pliosaur was about twice the size of a killer whale — and move lead study author David Martill closer to redemption. However, he cautioned that an increase in length corresponds with an “exponential increase in volume … placing a biological limit on the upper size pliosaurs could reach.” Smith wasn’t involved in the study. Pliosaurs were “a group of large carnivorous marine reptiles characterized by massive heads, short necks and streamlined tear-shaped bodies,” according to Britannica. Benton wasn’t involved in the study. “Here is a marine reptile as large as a sperm whale, and there’s nothing like it around today.”

☆ Oldest fossils of remarkable marine reptiles found in Arctic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Fossils dating to about 250 million years ago unearthed in a harsh and remote locale - Norway's Arctic island of Spitsbergen - are now providing surprising insight into the rise of ichthyosaurs. The fossils showed this one, which has not yet been given a scientific name, was quite advanced anatomically. The site where the fossils were found is a classic Arctic landscape with high snow-capped mountains along the coast of a deep fjord. The mass extinction shook up land and marine ecosystems and opened opportunities for new species to fill ecological roles vacated by extinct creatures. Fossils show ichthyosaurs giving live birth to their young.

☆ Plesiosaur: Fossil hunters in Australia discover 100 million-year-old skeleton
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The discovery of a giant 100 million-year-old marine reptile’s skeleton in Australia has been hailed by researchers as a breakthrough that may provide vital clues about prehistoric life. The skull of the 100 million-year-old plesiosaur found in Queensland, Australia. Queensland MuseumIt’s the latest big discovery about prehistory to have been made in Australia in recent years. In June last year, scientists confirmed that the 2007 discovery of a fossilized skeleton in Queensland was the country’s largest dinosaur. Two months later, scientists discovered that there once was a species of flying “dragon” that soared over Australia 105 million years ago.

☆ Fearsome spinosaurus wasn't the scourge of prehistoric seas after all
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sereno and his team returned to their work with Spinosaurus in search of answers about what life had really been like for the fearsome dinosaur. James GurneyNext, the team turned to Spinosaurus’ tail. Dr. Frank Fish, tail mechanics expert and professor of biology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, took the lead. Fish compared the Spinosaurus tail with those of alligators and other reptiles and found the dinosaur would have been too rigid to function well underwater. Spinosaurus fossils have largely been found in the riverbank deposits of Niger’s inland basins, which are distant from prehistoric marine coastlines.

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