Oldest Dinosaur -240 Million Year old
Oldest Dinosaur
Paleontologists from across the globe have uncovered fossils in China dating back 240 million years, which one researcher referred to be a “long and snake-like, mythical Chinese dragon.”
The news was released by the National Museums of Scotland on Friday. The aquatic lizard, known as Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, is a one of the Oldest Dinosaur with 16 feet long and has 32 distinct neck vertebrae, making it an incredibly lengthy neck.
Located in the Guizhou Province of southern China, the newly discovered fossil resembles a snake and possesses flippers.
The creature, known as the “Chinese dragon,” is 240 million years old and a member of the Dinocephalosaurus orientalis species. During the Triassic period (252 million to 201 million years ago), this reptile ambushed unsuspecting food in shallow waters by using its unusually long neck.
Scientists have now assembled the remnants to rebuild the entire 16.8-foot (5-meter) span of the amazing ancient carnivore for the first time. The species was first discovered in limestone strata in southern China in 2003.
Since Oldest Dinosaur skull was discovered in 2003, Dinocephalosaurus orientalis has been known to scientists since then, but this new, more complete fossil discovery has “allowed scientists to depict the bizarre long-necked creature in full for the first time.”
It’s just another illustration of the bizarre and fascinating world of the Triassic that palaeontologists are still trying to figure out. Nick Fraser, keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said,
“We are confident that its striking appearance, reminiscent of the long and snake-like, mythical Chinese Dragon, will capture imaginations across the globe.”
Researchers believe that more study will improve our knowledge of this animal group’s evolutionary history, particularly in relation to the purpose of their long necks.
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According to a paper published by Cambridge University Press, scientists have learned more about this kind of creature thanks to this fossil and two previously found embryos of a similar organism. They most likely didn’t need to go on land to lay eggs because they lived in the water.
An inch is the largest preserved tooth and nine inches is the largest cranium of a Dinocephalosaurus orientalis that has been found.
For ten years, scientists have studied this critter in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Europe. Professor Li Chun of the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology stated,
“Of all the amazing discoveries we have made in the Triassic of Guizhou Province, Dinocephalosaurus probably stands out as the most remarkable.”
IN SOUTHERN UTAH, “EXTREMELY RARE” JURASSIC FOSSILS FOUND
The aquatic species had an elongated neck consisting of thirty-two vertebrae, which gave it a serpentine look.
The flippered arms and beautifully preserved fish in its stomach area, along with its keen teeth that made it easy to catch fish, all suggest that this animal was extremely well adapted to a marine lifestyle, according to paleontologists.
Scientists note that although Dinocephalosaurus may have had some characteristics with the long-necked plesiosaurs, they are not closely related. It took the plesiosaurs around 40 million years to evolve, which is why the Loch Ness Monster mythology originated.
What is the oldest dinosaur name?
The approximately 243 million-year-old fossils, known as Nyasasaurus parringtoni, are either the earliest known dinosaur or the closest known related to the earliest dinosaurs.
How old is the youngest dinosaur?
The oldest dinosaur bone ever found has been discovered by scientists, and it dates from just before an asteroid struck Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula 65 million years ago. Paleontologists are still debating the precise cause of the dinosaurs’ extinction in light of the discovery, which was published in Biology Letters today.
What dinosaur has 500 teeth?
his strange long-necked dinosaur is distinguished by its remarkably wide, straight-edged muzzle, which is crowned with over 500 interchangeable teeth. Reconstructed digitally using CT scans, the original fossil skull of Nigersaurus is among the first dinosaur skulls.
What dinosaur has 0 teeth?
Theropod with no teeth found in northwest China is called Limusaurus inextricabilis. Limusaurus was a dinosaur that existed in the Jurassic Period, 161–156 million years ago.
