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Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Science
- Indianapolis Star
New species of 'Jurassic sea monster' identified in old fossil
Paleontology researchers in Europe have identified a new species of ancient marine reptile – often referred to as a "Jurassic sea monster" or "sea dragon" – that existed nearly 183 million years ago. The newly classified species of plesiosaur (Plesionectes longicollum, which means "early swimmer with long neck"), likely had the distinction of having the longest neck of other plesiosaurs during the Early Jurassic period (from about 174.7 to 201.4 million years ago), said Sven Sachs of the Naturkunde-Museum Bielefeld, the study's lead author. The bones of the reptile – not a dinosaur – were found in 1978 by Gotthilf Fischer, owner of a quarry and a small museum in Holzmaden, Germany, wrote Sachs and co-author Daniel Madzia from the Polish Academy of Sciences in the journal PeerJ Life & Environment on Aug. 4. The Holzmaden region in southwest Germany has historically been a hotbed for Jurassic period discoveries including other species of plesiosaurs, which were piscivorous reptiles (they fed on fish), thalattosuchians (marine crocodiles), and dolphin-like marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs, which have been found to be as long as 65 feet. Jupiter-Venus conjunction: How to see our solar system's 2 brightest planets in August Other researchers had noted the distinguishing characteristics of the plesiosaur's skeleton, which is in the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History. "This specimen has been in collections for decades, but previous studies never fully explored its distinctive anatomy," Sachs said in a news release about the research. "Our detailed examination revealed an unusual combination of skeletal features that clearly distinguish it from all previously known plesiosaurs." The new species had at least 43 vertebrae and perhaps as many as 45 – the remains of the plesiosaur's skull is smashed and not as well-preserved – "the long neck is special for a plesiosaur from the Lower Jurassic," Sachs told USA TODAY. In addition to a very long neck, Plesionectes longicollum had "a rather small head," Sachs said. But it "was an agile swimmer with paddle like limbs." The reptile also had more back vertebrae than most other plesiosaurs of the period and had V-shaped joints between vertebrae in the neck and chest, he said. This newly-identified plesiosaur measured about 10.5 feet and is the oldest known plesiosaur found in the region, where the Tethys Sea covered much of Europe into the Cenozoic era, which began 66 million years ago. Fossils of plesiosaurs have been dated back to the Triassic period about 250 million years ago into the Cretaceous period, before dinosaurs vanished about 65 million years ago, according to Britannica. Plesiosaurs were known to have lived in North America, Asia and Australia, and in the Pacific Ocean and European seas. Plesiosaurs devoured all manner of marine life including squid and other plesiosaurs. But those with a long neck, such as Plesionectes longicollum, "mainly ate fish," Sachs said. Some of the bones suggest the fossil represents "not an adult but more a older juvenile or young subadult," he said. "But it is possible … that it was an adult that retained anatomical features one would expect in a juvenile." Regardless, the identification reveals another form of prehistoric life in a region already fertile for fossil finds. "This discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of marine ecosystem evolution during a critical time in Earth's history," Madzia said in a statement. "The early Toarcian period when this animal lived was marked by significant environmental changes, including a major oceanic anoxic event that affected marine life worldwide." That period of global warming in the Jurassic period, scientists say, led to loss of oxygen in water and the extinction of many species. The identification of a new pleisosaur in the Holzmaden region – this brings the findings up to six different kinds – "shows that the fauna there was quite diverse," Sachs said. Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@
USA Today
5 days ago
- Science
- USA Today
New species of 'Jurassic sea monster' identified in old fossil
Paleontology researchers in Europe have identified a new species of ancient marine reptile – often referred to as a "Jurassic sea monster" or "sea dragon" – that existed nearly 183 million years ago. The newly classified species of plesiosaur (Plesionectes longicollum, which means "early swimmer with long neck"), likely had the distinction of having the longest neck of other plesiosaurs during the Early Jurassic period (from about 174.7 to 201.4 million years ago), said Sven Sachs of the Naturkunde-Museum Bielefeld, the study's lead author. The bones of the reptile – not a dinosaur – were found in 1978 by Gotthilf Fischer, owner of a quarry and a small museum in Holzmaden, Germany, wrote Sachs and co-author Daniel Madzia from the Polish Academy of Sciences in the journal PeerJ Life & Environment on Aug. 4. The Holzmaden region in southwest Germany has historically been a hotbed for Jurassic period discoveries including other species of plesiosaurs, which were piscivorous reptiles (they fed on fish), thalattosuchians (marine crocodiles), and dolphin-like marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs, which have been found to be as long as 65 feet. Jupiter-Venus conjunction: How to see our solar system's 2 brightest planets in August Other researchers had noted the distinguishing characteristics of the plesiosaur's skeleton, which is in the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History. "This specimen has been in collections for decades, but previous studies never fully explored its distinctive anatomy," Sachs said in a news release about the research. "Our detailed examination revealed an unusual combination of skeletal features that clearly distinguish it from all previously known plesiosaurs." The new species had at least 43 vertebrae and perhaps as many as 45 – the remains of the plesiosaur's skull is smashed and not as well-preserved – "the long neck is special for a plesiosaur from the Lower Jurassic," Sachs told USA TODAY. In addition to a very long neck, Plesionectes longicollum had "a rather small head," Sachs said. But it "was an agile swimmer with paddle like limbs." The reptile also had more back vertebrae than most other plesiosaurs of the period and had V-shaped joints between vertebrae in the neck and chest, he said. What did the newly discovered Jurassic sea monster eat? This newly-identified plesiosaur measured about 10.5 feet and is the oldest known plesiosaur found in the region, where the Tethys Sea covered much of Europe into the Cenozoic era, which began 66 million years ago. Fossils of plesiosaurs have been dated back to the Triassic period about 250 million years ago into the Cretaceous period, before dinosaurs vanished about 65 million years ago, according to Britannica. Plesiosaurs were known to have lived in North America, Asia and Australia, and in the Pacific Ocean and European seas. Plesiosaurs devoured all manner of marine life including squid and other plesiosaurs. But those with a long neck, such as Plesionectes longicollum, "mainly ate fish," Sachs said. Some of the bones suggest the fossil represents "not an adult but more a older juvenile or young subadult," he said. "But it is possible … that it was an adult that retained anatomical features one would expect in a juvenile." Regardless, the identification reveals another form of prehistoric life in a region already fertile for fossil finds. "This discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of marine ecosystem evolution during a critical time in Earth's history," Madzia said in a statement. "The early Toarcian period when this animal lived was marked by significant environmental changes, including a major oceanic anoxic event that affected marine life worldwide." That period of global warming in the Jurassic period, scientists say, led to loss of oxygen in water and the extinction of many species. The identification of a new pleisosaur in the Holzmaden region – this brings the findings up to six different kinds – "shows that the fauna there was quite diverse," Sachs said. Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Paleontologists discover ‘unusual' long-necked plesiosaur in Germany
In 1978, paleontologists discovered the remarkable, nearly complete skeleton with even some fossilized tissue surviving, at a quarry in the famous Posidonia Shale fossil bed roughly 18 miles southeast of Stuttgart. Initial analysis clearly indicated the specimen was a plesiosauroid—a family of long-necked marine reptiles that swam Earth's ancient oceans. Researchers soon transferred it to the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History, but the creature never received a thorough examination. Instead, it remained within the institution's archives for years. After nearly 50 years of storage, paleontologists were finally able to carve out time for a thorough evaluation of the mystery. And according to their analysis published August 4 in the journal Peerj Life & Environment, the bones belong to a previously unknown species: Plesionectes longicollum, or the 'long-necked near-swimmer.' The Loch Ness monster-esque reptile lived around 184 to 175 million years ago during the Lower Jurassic period. 'This specimen has been in collections for decades, but previous studies never fully explored its distinctive anatomy,' study lead author and paleontologist Sven Sachs said in a statement. 'Our detailed examination revealed an unusual combination of skeletal features that clearly distinguish it from all previously known plesiosaurs.' Although experts determined the specimen had yet to reach adulthood by the time it died, its details are so significantly different from other plesiosauroids that it required a new genus and species, including an impressive backbone. The remarkable skeleton measures nearly 10.5 feet long with a 4.1 feet neck composed of at least 43 vertebrae. 'This number is considerably higher than in most other Early Jurassic plesiosauroids,' they wrote in their analysis. While largely well-preserved, the researchers noted the same can't be said for its 'heavily damaged' skull. P. longicollum lived during a 'critical time in Earth's history' known as the early Toarcian period—an era kicked off by a mass extinction known as the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event. At that time, the planet hosted vast, thin ice sheets that stretched into lower latitudes. A major volcanic event is believed to have kickstarted the anoxic event, resulting in global warming from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This in turn raised ocean temperatures anywhere between 1.8 to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on latitude. At its height, Toarcian surface ocean temperatures averaged 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit. 'This discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of marine ecosystem evolution during a critical time in Earth's history,' study co-author Daniel Madzia explained. P. longicollum is now the sixth plesiosaur species discovered at the Posidonia Shale in Holzmaden—including representatives from all three major plesiosaur lineages. Solve the daily Crossword
India Today
7 days ago
- Science
- India Today
Frozen in time: Ancient sea monster discovered in Germany's Jurassic fossil beds
Paleontologists have unveiled a new species of ancient marine reptile from Germany's famed Posidonia Shale fossil beds, offering fresh insights into ocean ecosystems that thrived nearly 183 million years newly identified species, named Plesionectes longicollum ('long-necked near-swimmer'), expands the diversity of plesiosauroids, a group of long-necked marine reptiles that roamed Jurassic seas during the age of nearly complete skeleton, which remarkably preserves traces of fossilised soft tissue, was originally excavated in 1978 from a quarry in Holzmaden, Southwest Germany. Despite its early discovery, only recent comprehensive scientific analysis fully revealed its unique anatomical traits that set it apart from all known 'This specimen has been in collections for decades, but previous studies never fully explored its distinctive anatomy,' said Sven Sachs of the Naturkunde-Museum Bielefeld, the study's lead author. 'Our detailed examination revealed an unusual combination of skeletal features that clearly distinguish it from all previously known plesiosaurs.'Co-author Dr. Daniel Madzia of the Polish Academy of Sciences highlighted the specimen's significance as the oldest known plesiosaur from the Holzmaden the individual was immature at death, its unique features were sufficiently developed to warrant classification as a completely new genus and discovery sheds light on marine ecosystem evolution during the early Toarcian period, a time marked by profound environmental shifts including a major oceanic anoxic event that impacted marine life Posidonia Shale formation, renowned for its exceptional fossil preservation, had previously yielded five other plesiosaur species representing all three major plesiosaur lineages.'This discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of marine ecosystem evolution during a critical time in Earth's history,' Dr. Madzia said. The fossil, cataloged as specimen SMNS 51945, is permanently housed at Stuttgart's Staatliches Museum fr addition of Plesionectes longicollum not only deepens our understanding of Jurassic marine biodiversity but further cements the Posidonia Shale's status as a crucial window into prehistoric ocean life.- Ends
