Birds, solely species of dinosaurs still living today, have adapted to survive almost everywhere, from burrowing in subterranean tunnels to flying thousands of miles above the oceans without pausing. Then there are penguins, which dive a quarter-mile into freezing water in quest of food.
It appears that contemporary birds are not the sole dinosaurs that have adopted the plunge-and-prey habit. A team of experts claims to have discovered the oldest example of an ancient dinosaur with a streamlined body for diving. On Thursday, they published their study in the journal Communications Biology.
At first, the new duck-sized dinosaur was overlooked. Robin Sissons, a master's student studying at the University of Alberta at the time, was working on a dig in Mongolia's Gobi Desert and she discovered a "string of white fragments jutting out of the rock." After showing her colleagues an image of what they had seen over lunch, they proceeded to the area and eventually transferred the specimen to South Korea for some further research. Since then, the fossil has been restored to the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
Penguin-like Aquatic Dinosaur
A complete skeleton was discovered after extensive preparation in Korea, as per Yuong-Nam Lee from Seoul National University, who organized the expedition and is one of the authors of the new study. The specimen was fragile yet well-preserved. We recognized right away that it was significant.
The specimen used to have a mouth full of much more than 100 small, sharp teeth as well as a long, thin neck, according to the experts. These characteristics indicated a dinosaur that spent significant time near water, according to Dr. Lee, with teeth concentrated in the front of the snout capable of clinging on to slippery, leaping fish.
Comparable fossils, notably Halszkaraptor escuilliei, have been discovered in Mongolia, and experts have questioned whether they were semiaquatic. However, the new dinosaur discovered by Dr. Lee appeared better preserved, unlike Halszkaraptor, particularly in one important area: the ribs, which were somewhat flattened and directed toward the animal's tail, based on a different study.
And although the rib cage was not entirely preserved, Dr. Lee believes that the rib position and form show that this creature had a streamlined physique, as do penguins. It made the thoracic column the smoking gun: not only was the dinosaur eating fish, but it also possessed a streamlined physique that was ideal for diving, according to the researchers. Natovenator polydontus, a snorkeling hunter with many teeth, is the name they picked to represent this allegation.
An artist's impression of the newly discovered Natovenator polydontus. The dinosaur had a streamlined body, meaning it could swim effortlessly through water. Paleontologists found a duck-sized animal's body was streamlined for seeking prey underwater. Other paleontologists believe additional research is needed to validate the discovery.
Understanding the Evolution of Flying Dinosaurs to Modern Birds
Whereas if scientists are true, Natovenator was one of the earliest dinosaurs (apart from birds) to plunge for food. However, as reported by Newsweek, some paleontologists remain unconvinced. Nizar Ibrahim said that they are constantly on the hunt for mostly aquatic dinosaurs. He stated that "additional rigorous data," such as an in-depth investigation of Natovenator's biomechanical capabilities and further comparisons to other aquatic creatures, including attributes like bone density, might persuade him to change his mind.
Dr. Ibrahim contributed to the discovery that it is related to an animal's capacity to immerse itself. Ibrahim is a paleontologist from the University of Portsmouth in England that believes the massive predatory Spinosaurus hunted underwater However, Natovenator should be included in the lists of swimming dinosaurs.
Lindsay Zanno, a paleontologist from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, expressed interest in future research. Dr. Zanno stated that a possible diving dinosaur adds to scientists' comprehension about how theropod dinosaurs, spanning Natovenator to T. rex to the dove outside the window, grew so extraordinarily diversified, which leaves the mystery and answering it may require reversing paleontology's predisposition to presume dinosaurs were landlubbers.
Finding semi-aquatic dinosaurs indicates that dinosaurs had a high level of ecological variety, which might shift our perception of dinosaur behavior, as per Dr. Lee. More than 30 distinct tetrapod lineages have independently colonized aquatic habitats.
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