In 1830, Henry De la Beche, an English paleontologist, composed a painting of “Duria Antiquior,” a vision of Mesozoic oceans. When picturing a long-necked marine reptile, he depicted its throat clamped between the jaws of a monstrous Ichthyosaurus. Almost two centuries have passed without direct evidence of the neck biting De la Beche imagined. The structure — which made up half the animal’s body — was constructed from 13 bizarrely elongated and interlocking vertebrae, creating a neck as stiff as a fishing rod. “Getting any insight into how these extreme structures functioned with potential weakness and strengths is very important,” Dr. Spiekman said.

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Persons: Henry De la, picturing, Stephan Spiekman, Spiekman Organizations: State Museum of Locations: Stuttgart, Germany