About 240 million years ago, the tricycle predator Bravicaudosaurus Jiangxenesis almost skull Silent, at sea – and researchers found clues in his skeleton that could explain his unusual hunting methods.
Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and scientists from the Canadian Museum of Nature tt studied two skeletons in southwestern China found in a thin layer of Chinese stone in Tova. A very complete skeleton, measuring only 60 centimeters long, was found in a mine in Jiangxin.
Experts identified the 240 million-year-old fossils as previously unknown species, such as fangs, flipper-like limbs and long necks. Normally, thorns have a long tail, which experts believe is used for propulsion – but the newly found reptile had a short and flat tail.
The front parts of the reptile were more developed than its hind limbs, and could play a role in helping the animal swim, the researchers noted. With its thick and gaense bones – including the vertebrae and ribs – it was probably the appearance of a and stock stock and a stunt.
What else is there Based on the evidence, experts believe that Bravicadosaurus jiangchenensis should not swim fast. However, his gaense bones have given him one advantage: stability. Its thick, high-mass bones could have made it neutrally vibrant in shallow water, and with the help of its flat tail, the hunter could float motionless underwater while using low energy energy.
Stealth hunter
The animal, the researchers also believe, will be able to use neutral ecstasy for seashore stalks in search of the next meal.
“Our analysis of two well-preserved skeletons consists of a B, P, patchiostatic B (D (denser bond)) and a very short, pinnate tail,” said King Hua Shang, author of a study by a paleontologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Long tails can be used to spread in the water, to generate thrust, but the new species we have identified is probably better suited to hang near the bottom in shallow seas, using its short, flat tail as underwater.” It allows maintenance of flora while searching.
The reptile was well suited for underwater hunting: with neutral enthusiasm it should also be able to walk along the coast in search of slow-moving prey. Meanwhile, the high-density ribs of the skeleton also indicate that the reptile has large lungs, which increases the time it can spend without surfacing the species.
Paleontologists have discovered another feature that will help Bravicadosaurus in its underwater functions: the animal also had thick, long steps – strip-shaped bones in the middle ear, used for sound transmission – that could help reptiles hear below the surface.
“Perhaps this small, slow-floating sea reptile had to be vigilant for large predators because it swam in shallows, and was also a predator itself,” said Shio-Chun Wu, a palebiologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Xiao-chun Wu said in a statement.
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