A herbivorous dinosaur that used to graze the greeneries of present-day northwest China could have had the longest dinosaur neck in the world.
Longest Dinosaur Neck
According to Science Alert, the Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum was uncovered from beds of fossils in northwest China. These remains were seen in 1987 while the creature got its name in 1993.
The Smithsonian Magazine reports that this long-necked creature belonged to a dinosaur group known as sauropods. These dinosaurs are huge and herbivorous. They are known to have long necks and tails.
In a new analysis of the fossils, researchers compared the dinosaur's structure and size with other sauropods. The researchers estimated that the neck of M. sinocanardum may have spanned 15.1 meters. Live Science notes that this is around six times the length of the neck of a giraffe. Their findings were published in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.
When the fossils were first discovered, M. sinocanardum was referred to as Asia's biggest sauropod. It remained distinct as a sauropod with one of the longest necks. Now, the recent analysis reveals that M. sinocanardum may have had the longest neck among all sauropods.
Andrew Moore, a paleontologist from Stony Brook University and one of the study's co-authors, notes that their analysis gives them confidence that, within the neck of the M. sinocanadorum, 18 vertebrae were present.
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Mysterious Sauropods
David Hone, a paleontologist who delved into dinosaur research at Queen Mary University but did not participate in the study, said that these long necks are remarkable, even by dinosaur standards. Understanding the evolution of these creatures is important to knowing how they lived.
Science Alert notes that feeding may be the most obvious function of such a long neck. Andrew Moore mentions that the creature's long neck would have made it more efficient in foraging and able to graze huge quantities before moving to the next spot.
However, nutrition access is not the only evolution driver. Similar to giraffes, sauropods may have benefited from their long necks in various ways.
Paul Barrett, one of the study's authors and a paleontologist from the UK National History Museum, says that the long neck may have been associated with sexual display and used to neck-butt other males fighting over territories or mates. This is similar to the present-day behaviors of giraffes. However, these assumptions still remain speculation.
Scientists are also baffled by how sauropods, especially this remarkably long-necked one, were able to balance their lengthy necks. While a long tail could have prevented the creatures from toppling, it remains a mystery how a huge beast could elevate its head without collapsing under its neck's weight.
Barrett notes that they have no idea how the animal mechanically worked. A lot of muscles would be necessary to hold up such a lengthy neck.
There is also a mystery regarding how the creature inhales and exhales, which researchers were able to peek into. They found that, similar to other sauropods and living bird relatives, the creature had huge air sacs down its windpipe, into its chest, and in its lungs. Their imaging revealed that the air sacs took up 69% to 77% of the creature's neck bones.
Moore explained that this light weight may have critically alleviated the weight of this long neck.
However, without the reinforcement of bones, the skeletons may have flopped or been vulnerable to injuries. Science Alert reports that, as it turns out, the creature had neck ribs, which were vertebral extensions that stabilized and stiffened its neck.
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