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15.1 meters: this dinosaur had a neck five times longer than that of a giraffe

Paleontologists have performed new analyzes on the fossil of a dinosaur that lived more than 162 million years ago. They discovered that it had the longest neck ever observed.

It could be a record. After re-analyzing a dinosaur fossil found in 1987 in northwestern China, paleontologists discovered it might be the longest-necked dinosaur in history, CNN says, citing the study published in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.

The animal, which lived about 162 million years ago on Earth’s surface, had a 15.1-meter-long neck, much larger than a bus, a two-story building, or a five-story building, times as long. than that of a giraffe.

Eat vegetation, without spending energy.

This height would have allowed this dinosaur called Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum to eat the surrounding vegetation using the minimum of energy.

“Mamenchisaurus are significant because they pushed the limits of neck length and were the first sauropod lineage to do so. With a 15-meter-long neck, it appears that Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum may contain less until something longer is discovered,” he said. Andrew Moore, study author. , paleontologist and professor at Stony Brook University in New York.

The scientists were able to deduce the length of its neck by studying in particular three vertebrae preserved from the fossil and comparing them with the neck bones of other dinosaurs in the same family.

Between 7.5 and 10 meters high

By re-studying these species, the study also provided details of their anatomy. While Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum were massive dinosaurs, their bones were filled with air rather than, like most mammals, marrow.

As for the orientation of its neck, it was not straight like that of a swan, but formed an angle of 20 to 30 degrees on the horizontal axis. A relatively low angle that made these dinosaurs reach a total height of between 7.5 and 10 meters.

Author: Emily Roussey
Source: BFM TV

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