By BBC News World
Feb 23, 2024, 11:07 PM EST
A group of British scientists revealed the discovery of a fossil in an impressive state of conservation.
It is an aquatic reptile 5 meters long, which lived during the Triassic period, about 240 million years ago.
The creature has been nicknamed “dragon,” due to its extremely long neck.
The animal belongs to the species Dinocephalosaurus orientaliswhich was originally identified in 2003.
This spectacular new fossil has allowed scientists to see the complete anatomy of this striking prehistoric beast.
Nick Fraser, from National Museums Scotland, who was part of the international team that studied the fossil, said this was the first time scientists had been able to see it in its entirety.
He described it as “a very strange animal.”
“It had fin-like limbs and its neck is longer than its body and tail combined,” Fraser explained to the BBC.
The researcher pointed out that a “long and flexible neck”, with its 32 separate vertebrae, could have been an advantage in obtaining food, because it allowed the “dragon” to search for food in underwater crevices.
The fossil was discovered in old limestone deposits in southern China.
“This discovery only increases the rarity of the Triassic. Every time we look at these deposits, we find something new,” concluded Fraser.
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