A group of paleontologists has described an ancient long-necked sea creature that lived about 240 million years ago in Guizhou, southern China, according to a study published in the journal Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .
Researchers have classified this species as a Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a marine animal that had an extraordinarily long neck, with 32 separate vertebrae, reminiscent of a traditional and colorful “Chinese dragon.”
A “mythical Chinese dragon”
“This discovery allows us to see this extraordinary long-necked animal in its entirety for the first time. “It is yet another example of the strange and wonderful world of the Triassic, which continues to baffle paleontologists,” lead author Nick Fraser, Natural Sciences Conservationist at the National Museum of Scotland, said in a statement.
“We are sure that it will capture everyone’s imagination with its striking appearance, reminiscent of the mythical long, serpentine Chinese dragon,” he added.
The so-called “Chinese dragon” lived in the depths of the sea, had fins and fed on fish, as demonstrated by the analyzes carried out on its mouth and teeth and the remains of fish preserved in its stomach.
Not related to plesiosaurs
The D. orientalis specimen was found in 2003. Since then, researchers have been working to determine which species it belonged to.
Some researchers thought that this sea creature could be related to the Tanystropheus hydroides or the famous plesiosaur, which also have a long neck. However, D. orientalis is not related to these aforementioned species.
“Among all the extraordinary finds we have made in the Triassic of Guizhou Province, Dinocephalosaurus probably stands out as the most notable,” co-author Li Chun, from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, said in the same statement.