Шинэ судалгаагаар Liopleurodon ferox далайн махчин амьтныг урьд өмнө төсөөлж байснаас хамаагүй жижиг болохыг тогтоож, түүний ан агнуурын чадварын нууцыг тайлбарлалаа.
Портсмутын их сургуулийн палеонтологич Эдвард Бартлет болон түүний баг Liopleurodon ferox-той холбоотой 37 олдворыг судалж, тус төрөл зүйлийн биеийн хэмжээнд анх удаа цогц үнэлгээ хийжээ. Судалгааны үр дүнд эдгээр махчин амьтад 2.46-8.09 метрийн урттай байсан бөгөөд ихэнх нь 4.8-6 метрийн хэмжээтэй байсан нь 25 метр гэсэн хуучин таамаглалыг үгүйсгэж байна. Ойролцоогоор 5 метр урттай энэхүү амьтан нь тухайн үеийн Оксфорд шавран тогтоцын экосистемд ноёрхогч махчин байсаар иржээ.
Хэдийгээр биеийн хэмжээ нь өмнө нь төсөөлж байснаас бага ч Liopleurodon ferox нь гайхалтай том гавлын ясны ачаар хүчирхэг хэвээр байв. Судалгаагаар уг амьтны гавлын яс нь нийт биеийн уртын 24 орчим хувийг эзэлж байсныг тогтоосон нь түүнийг том хэмжээний олз руу дайрах чадвартай байсныг илтгэж байна.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн энэхүү судалгаагаар Юрийн галавын дунд үед 10 метрээс урт биетэй, тодорхойгүй төрөл зүйлийн бусад том махчин амьтад ч мөн амьдарч байсныг илрүүлэв. Ингэснээр эртний далайд янз бүрийн хэмжээтэй махчин амьтад зэрэгцэн оршиж байсан нь батлагдаж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The famous Jurassic predator Liopleurodon ferox has long been portrayed as a 25-meter ocean giant. But a new study is forcing scientists to rethink the true size of this legendary marine reptile, while revealing why it remained a powerful hunter despite its surprising proportions.
For years, it has been one of the most recognizable names among ancient ocean predators. This short-necked pliosaur lived around 163 million years ago in the seas that covered parts of modern-day England and France, where it hunted during the Middle Jurassic.
Its reputation as a gigantic marine monster came from a combination of incomplete fossils, changing scientific interpretations, and popular media. The 1999 BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs helped spread the image of a 25-meter-long Liopleurodon, but researchers from the University of Portsmouth have now taken a closer look at what the fossils actually show.
A New Look At The Real Size Of Liopleurodon
Paleontologist Edward Bartlett and his team reviewed all known specimens linked to Liopleurodon ferox to settle the long-running debate over its size. The researchers studied 37 specimens, making the project the first complete reassessment of the species’ fossil record.
Their results suggest that body lengths ranged from around 2.46 to 8.09 meters, while the best-preserved skeletons measured mostly between 4.8 and 6 meters.
The team estimated that the typical it was around 5 meters long. That is a far cry from the famous 25-meter version, but it still represents a large predator for the Oxford Clay Formation ecosystem.
“By bringing together all of the available material, we can finally provide a robust estimate of its size and body proportions,” Dr. Bartlett said. “Although it was smaller than some famous reconstructions, it was still the dominant marine predator in the Jurassic Oxford Clay seas.”
A Giant Head That Made Up For Its Smaller Body
A shorter body did not mean that Liopleurodon ferox was an ordinary predator. One of its most impressive features was its huge skull, which gave it a powerful advantage when hunting.
To rebuild the animal’s proportions, the researchers studied two well-preserved skeletons: one kept in Tübingen, Germany, and another at the Natural History Museum in London. They also used a complete skull to improve their measurements.
The study found that the skull represented about 24% of the animal’s skeletal length. That is a significant proportion and suggests that Liopleurodon ferox could take on relatively large prey compared with other pliosaurs that shared the same waters.
The researchers noted that even after the size correction, Liopleurodon ferox remained the largest confirmed animal from the Oxford Clay Formation environment.
Fossils Reveal Bigger Jurassic Predators
The study also brought another surprise: some pliosaurs from the same fossil beds appear to have been much larger than Liopleurodon ferox.
Several incomplete remains from the Oxford Clay Formation point to animals that may have reached between 7.02 and 12.2 meters long. Scientists cannot identify these fossils as a specific species because the remains do not include enough distinctive features.
The research team reported that these fossils show that pliosaurs exceeding 10 meters already existed during the late Middle Jurassic. They reveal that the oceans of this period were home to predators of very different sizes, including unknown giants that lived alongside Liopleurodon ferox.
The study, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, showed that this specimen may not have been the enormous sea monster once imagined, but its oversized skull and place at the top of its ecosystem still make it one of the most remarkable predators of the Jurassic.
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