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Decapitation in the long-necked Triassic marine reptile Tanystropheus

2023; Elsevier BV; Volume: 33; Issue: 13 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.027

1879-0445

Stephan N. F. Spiekman, Eudald Mujal,

Ichthyology and Marine Biology

Extreme neck elongation was a common evolutionary strategy among Mesozoic marine reptiles, occurring independently in several lineages 1 Noè L.F. Taylor M.A. Gómez-Pérez M. An integrated approach to understanding the role of the long neck in plesiosaurs. Acta Palaeontol. Pol. 2017; 62: 137-162 Crossref Scopus (18) Google Scholar ,2 Spiekman S.N.F. Neenan J.M. Fraser N.C. Fernandez V. Rieppel O. Nosotti S. Scheyer T.M. Aquatic habits and niche partitioning in the extraordinarily long-necked Triassic reptile Tanystropheus. Curr. Biol. 2020; 30: 3889-3895.e2 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (16) Google Scholar . Despite its evolutionary success, such an elongate neck might have been particularly susceptible to predation 1 Noè L.F. Taylor M.A. Gómez-Pérez M. An integrated approach to understanding the role of the long neck in plesiosaurs. Acta Palaeontol. Pol. 2017; 62: 137-162 Crossref Scopus (18) Google Scholar , but direct evidence for this possibility has been lacking. Composed of only 13 hyperelongate vertebrae and associated strut-like ribs, the configuration of the long neck of the Triassic archosauromorph Tanystropheus is unique among tetrapods. It was probably stiffened and used to catch prey through an ambush-strategy 2 Spiekman S.N.F. Neenan J.M. Fraser N.C. Fernandez V. Rieppel O. Nosotti S. Scheyer T.M. Aquatic habits and niche partitioning in the extraordinarily long-necked Triassic reptile Tanystropheus. Curr. Biol. 2020; 30: 3889-3895.e2 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (16) Google Scholar . Here, we show that the neck was completely severed in two Tanystropheus specimens (Figure 1), most likely due to a predatory attack, providing vivid evidence of predator–prey interactions among Mesozoic marine reptiles that are rarely preserved in the fossil record. The recurring incidence of decapitation suggests that the elongate neck was a functional weak spot in Tanystropheus, and possibly the long-necked marine reptile bauplan more generally.