Chinese Dragon Fossil: Researchers Discovers 240-Million-Year-Old Aquatic Reptile

Researchers from the National Museums Scotland found a 240-million-year-old fossil that resembles a "Chinese dragon" in Guizhou Province, southern China.

The discovered fossil was identified as a Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a 5-meter-long Triassic aquatic reptile that resembles the Middle Triassic European and Chinese sea reptile Tanystropheus hydroides, which had 32 vertebrae and a long neck, according to ABC News.

However, the Dinocephalosaurus distinguishes itself with numerous vertebrae in both the neck and torso, giving it a more snake-like appearance. Despite its peculiar features, the reptile was well adapted to an oceanic lifestyle, as evidenced by its flippered limbs and preserved fish in its stomach region.

A Breakthrough Find

Professor Li Chun from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology hailed Dinocephalosaurus as "the most remarkable" among their extraordinary fossil finds in Guizhou Province.

In 2003, Beijing Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology professor Li Chun discovered the fossils. He found a vertebra in a limestone block in a tiny town in Guizhou Province, southern China. Local farmers escorted Professor Chun to a pig enclosure with other parts of the rock, where he found bone fragments and put them together to uncover this new species, per CNN.

The creature's full account is in Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Dr. Stephan Spiekman, a Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History postdoctoral researcher, expressed pleasure in the research contributions and the unique experience of being engaged in these significant findings. He hoped future studies would shed light on the development of this animal group, particularly their extended necks.

(Image : Nobu Tamura/Wikimedia Commons) Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, a protorosaur from the Middle Triassic of China, pencil drawing

280-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Fossil is Fake

In another significant development previously reported by TechTimes, scientists from University College Cork have made a startling revelation about a fossil previously believed to be a 280-million-year-old dinosaur with preserved soft tissues. Contrary to initial assumptions, the fossil, identified as Tridentinosaurus antiquus, was declared a fake.

Discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931, Tridentinosaurus antiquus was once considered crucial for understanding early reptile evolution due to its seemingly preserved soft tissues. However, new research led by Dr. Valentina Rossi exposed the truth: the preservation was mostly black paint on a carved lizard-shaped rock surface.

Published in the journal Palaeontology, the findings challenged previous assumptions about Tridentinosaurus antiquus and underscored the importance of caution in interpreting fossils. Dr. Rossi's advanced techniques, including ultraviolet photography and microscopic analysis, revealed the forgery, highlighting the rarity of genuine fossilized soft tissues.

Although the discovery of fake preservation was disappointing, the study demonstrated the effectiveness of modern analytical paleontology. Genuine insights into Tridentinosaurus antiquus were still gleaned from the bones of the hindlimbs and small bony scales on the back, showcasing the value of rigorous scientific methods in unraveling age-old mysteries.