The National Museum of Scotland announced this Friday (230) that it had discovered fossils that could come from a 240 million year old “dragon”. The remains of the fivemeterlong reptile were identified in China in 2003, but have not been found. The species was studied for more than 10 years and was only identified after the discovery of a new fossil.
The animal was named “Dinocephalosaurus orientalis” and, according to researcher Nick Fraser, it was “complete from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail.” The expert, who is also in charge of the National Museum of Scotland's science department, says the fossil was in the shape of the number 8 and “very much resembles a Chinese dragon”.
The fossil was first discovered in 2003 by Professor Li Chun of the Beijing Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. After identifying a small vertebra in a limestone slab, Li Chun was taken by local farmers to a pigsty where more pieces of this rock were located. The fragments were put together until they formed the new species.
Analysis of newly discovered remains revealed that the creature had 32 vertebrae and an extremely long neck, which likely helped it catch fish. However, the function of the neck is still debated by experts.
(With information from CNN Brasil)
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