Researchers have discovered a new species of dragon snake, a polycotylid plesiosaur, and have given it the name Snaky Crocface, which translates from Latin and Greek as crocodile snake.
Despite the misconception, plesiosaurs weren’t dinosaurs. But as marine reptiles, most plesiosaurs are classified as small-headed, short-snouted, and long-necked, or large-headed, long-snouted, and short-necked. This crocodile snake There are many things wrong. The long neck and large jaws look more like a crocodile than a snake. While previously discovered fossils often have one or the other, it’s not a snake, it’s a crocodile.
a researcher who studies parts of the skeleton Researchers determined that the creature was more than 7 meters (23 feet) long and had a neck of 32 vertebrae. Serpentisuchops pfisterae came from the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale of Wyoming, dating back 66 to 100 years. The plesiosaur specimen is the oldest fossil ever found during the Triassic period, dating back between 199 and 251 million years ago. The plesiosaur remains are on display at the Glenrock Museum of Paleontology. It has been on display there since 1995 and the same year we first discovered it.
The research team also studied the teeth of animals found at the crime scene. and have complete teeth in the eye sockets of the lower jaw They believe that the distance between the incisors and jaws is close. That means the lower jaw and upper teeth are closely connected when the mouth is closed.
The research team also believes that Slender jaws may have up to 36 teeth in total, without serrations. Therefore, it cannot be used to bite bones. This suggests that plesiosaurs were more carnivorous and probably ate smaller fish as their main diet. The researchers also added that How to hunt for its prey is to float in the water to wait for the victim and move the neck to one side to catch prey
while about 35 percent of the animal’s body has been preserved. The missing parts include the limbs and the chest strap. which connects the upper limbs to the skeleton
There is much debate about the plesiosaur’s swimming style, with some experts believing that the animal used a rowing position. While some research Point out that it swims in the water like a penguin.
Ref : iScience.
