Scientists have unraveled the riddle of a real-life sea monster - News-Daily.com

Scientists digitally reconstructed the crushed skulls of Tanystropheus fossils, which revealed evidence that these reptiles were water-dwelling.

Scientists used CT scans to digitally reconstruct the crushed skulls of Tanystropheus fossils, which revealed evidence that these reptiles were water-dwelling, according to the new research published today in Current Biology.

The digitally reassembled fossils show that the Tanystropheus' skull anatomy and nostril placement -- on the top of it's snout similar to a crocodile -- had the characteristics of an aquatic animal.

Scientists digitally reconstructed the crushed skulls of Tanystropheus fossils, which revealed evidence that these reptiles were water-dwelling.

Scientists used CT scans to digitally reconstruct the crushed skulls of Tanystropheus fossils, which revealed evidence that these reptiles were water-dwelling, according to the new research published today in Current Biology.

The digitally reassembled fossils show that the Tanystropheus' skull anatomy and nostril placement -- on the top of it's snout similar to a crocodile -- had the characteristics of an aquatic animal.

Paleontologists have long known that the species once lived in Switzerland's Monte San Giorgio basin during the Middle Triassic period (about 242 million years ago)?

Scientists used computed tomography (CT) scan technology to digitally reconstruct the crushed skulls of the fossils, which revealed evidence that these reptiles were water-dwelling, according to new research published today in Current Biology.

"For those people who are interested in Triassic reptiles, it's always been not only an iconic fossil but also a matter of dispute and discussion," said Olivier Rieppel, a paleontologist at the Field Museum in Chicago and one of the study's authors.

"I've been studying Tanystropheus for over 30 years, so it's extremely satisfying to see these creatures demystified.".

The digitally reassembled fossils show that the Tanystropheus' skull anatomy and nostril placement had the characteristics of an aquatic animal.

Researchers also found evidence that the Tanystropheus was an aquatic "ambush predator" that likely used its long, slender neck to allow it to approach unknowing prey.

Previously, it was thought the smaller fossils were the baby version of the fully-grown Tanystropheus!

"It's like the growth rings of a tree -- from this you can basically reconstruct the history of these animals.".

However, the fossils also revealed the two species had different types of teeth, which led to the conclusion that they used different strategies to catch prey.

It's called niche partitioning," Scheyer told CNN.

Niche partitioning in such a highly specialized, extraordinarily long-necked reptile reveals a less competitive side of evolution during the Triassic period.

Scientists said that's an important ecological phenomenon that highlights the versatility of the Tanystropheus and the complexity of ecosystems at that time.

"That's partly because of the layout of the land at this time, and because it's the time period that follows one of the biggest mass extinctions in history.".

The time period these scientists are looking at occurred about 9 million years after the mass extinction which wiped out about 96% of marine species on Earth at the time, according to a 2018 study published in Science!

But marine life had a little time to recover by the Triassic period, making that time frame rich in fossils, especially in Switzerland's Monte San Giorgio area.

"It's important to be reminded that we have only a small percentage of Earth's biodiversity present today, and of course it's diminishing, partially because of our own actions and partially because of environmental changes," Scheyer said.

"It's important to understand biodiversity and how biodiversity changes over time.".