Ancient Long-Necked Reptiles, How Did They Live? Scientists Study Crushed Skulls, Remains

Scientists have long wondered how long-necked ancient reptiles thrived. The Tanystropheus was na odd-looking Triassic reptiles famed for its baffling assortment of ridiculously long fossilized neck bones that have been the source of confusion for paleontologists over the last 170 years.

The Mysterious Tanystropheus

The Tanystropheus is an ancient reptile that thrived during the Late Triassic Period in what is now Europe. It went extinct roughly 215 million years ago.

During its hay day, the ancient long-necked reptile grew as long as a Green Anaconda and weigh roughly as much as a Panda Bear.

The Tanystropheus was first unearthed during the 19th century and was given a name that translates to "long-necked one" since half of its size consisted of its elongated neck bones.

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Understanding the Life of Tanystropheus

A study published in the journal Current Biology, entitled "Aquatic Habits and Niche Partitioning in the Extraordinarily Long-Necked Triassic Reptile Tanystropheus" used CT scans to reconstruct the crushed skulls and remains of the reptile.

Oliver Rieppel, a paleontologist from the Field Museum, Chicago said that the ancient long-necked reptile resembled a stubby crocodile with an exaggeratedly long neck.

Researchers have long wondered how the extraordinary reptile evolved with such dimensions.

Part of the mystery lies in the reptiles' oddly shaped neck bones. Unlike snakes or other lizards, the Tansytropheus' cervical vertebrae stretch like a giraffe's. In fact, when the fossiled Transytropheus was first unearthed in 1852, its scattered bones were assumed to be elongated wing bones of pterosaurs--flying dinosaurs.

Another roadblock faced by palaeontologist is the diminutive fossils of dwarf species that would be identical to immature bones of juveniles.

Riepple and his colleagues examined an assortment of Tansytropheus fossils using X-rays turning the scans into digital 3D models via high-resolution computerized tomography.

Stephan Speikman, lead author and an expert in Triassic Reptile from the University of Zurich says that the CT scanning allowed researchers to see more detail that otherwise would be nearly impossible to observe in fossils.

The growth rings observed showed that smaller Tansytropheus bodies belonged to adults, making it clear for researchers that the sample had belonged to two separate species.

To better distinguish the species, researchers named the bigger specimen as T.hydroides, after the famed Hydra of Greek mythology; while its smaller cousin kept its name of T.longobardicus.

Transforming the scans into digital models provided researchers with a way to efficiently rearrange the bones for a clearer configuration that made it easier for scientists to study the reptile's anatomy.

Spiekman explains that with the reconstruction of the reptile's 3D skull from strongly crushed fragments, the theory holds true that the Tanystropehus was an aquatic reptile.

He adds that the smaller species likely fed on small shelled animals such as shrimps, squids, and fish.