. Looking closely at two fossils from two distinct species of the aquatic reptile, scientists found clear evidence of snapped necks—including, on one specimen, bite marks right at the snapping point. The skulls and necks of these specimens look more or less well preserved and undisturbed, but the rest of their bodies are nowhere to be found.
“The fact that the head and neck are so undisturbed suggests that when they reached the place of their final burial, the bones were still covered by soft tissues like muscle and skin,” Eudald Mujal, another study author also from the Stuttgart Museum, said in the release. The predator hadn’t eaten the dinosaur’s face, which Mujal speculates was because the skinny neck and small head wouldn’t have made a meaty meal, unlike other parts of the body.
This research just shows how weird evolution can be—after all, long-necked marine reptiles have been successful on Earth for millions of years.themselves lasted at least 10 million years during an incredibly tumultuous time to be existing on the planet . “In a very broad sense, our research once again shows that evolution is a game of trade-offs,” Spiekman added.Sara Kiley Watson is a News Editor at Popular Science, where she has led sustainability coverage since 2021.
Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: allkpop - 🏆 573. / 51 Read more »