When you buy through links on our site , we may earn an affiliate delegacy . Here ’s how it ferment .
Scientists have unveil stunning dodo of an ancient seaborne " Draco " happen upon inChina .
The 240 million - year - older animate being — nicknamed the " Chinese flying dragon " — belongs to the speciesDinocephalosaurus orientalis , a reptilian that used its signally farsighted neck opening to ambush unsuspecting prey in shallow waters during the Triassic full stop ( 252 million to 201 million eld ago ) .
A cropped photo of the Dinocephalosaurus orientalis fossil.
The metal money was first found in limestone deposit in southerly China in 2003 , but scientist have now piece together remain to reconstruct the full 16.8 - foot ( 5 beat ) brace of the spectacular ancient carnivore for the first time .
The researchers unwrap the new determination in a study published Feb. 23 in the journalEarth and Environmental Science : dealings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .
" It is yet one more object lesson of the unearthly and wonderful humankind of the Triassic that continues to baffle paleontologists,“Nick Fraser , keeper of natural scientific discipline at National Museums Scotlandsaid in a financial statement . " We are certain that it will capture imagination across the globe due to its striking appearance , reminiscent of the prospicient and snake in the grass - like , mythical Chinese Dragon . "
A full-size photo of dinocephalosaurus orientalis.
The fossil reveals some of the ancient ocean dragon ’s striking features .
Related:10 jaw - dropping dinosaur fossils excavate in 2023
First and foremost is its neck opening , which stretches nigh 7.7 feet ( 2.3 meters ) and hold 32 separate vertebrae — in equivalence , camelopard ( as well as humans ) have only seven neck opening vertebrae .
— Temperature inside Chicxulub crater after dinosaur - killing asteroid hit let out with ' paleothermometer '
— dinosaur overtop our major planet not because of their massive size of it or fearsome teeth — but thanks to the means they walk
— What was the distinctive life pair of a dinosaur ?
The serpent - like shape of the dragon ’s articulable neck in all likelihood gave it a remarkable ability to swipe up on its prey , which it did after operate into military position with its flippered limb . Some of the fish snared in the dragon ’s serrate tooth are still preserved inside the sea monster ’s belly .
The researcher note that though the strange creature may be reminiscent of the Loch Ness Monster , it is not closely related to the long - make out plesiosaurs that root on the famous mythical creature .
" We hope that our future enquiry will help us understand more about the evolution of this group of fauna , and particularly how the elongate neck function , " first - authorStephan Spiekman , a postdoctoral researcher found at the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History , said in the assertion .
