Tanystropheus

*Tanystropheus conspicuus*

**Tanystropheus** is genus of prolacertiformes long - necked archosaur. Its remains were found around Europe, in Southern Switzerland, Germany, The Middle East, China. Complete skeletons of juvenile individuals are most abundant in the Besano Formation of Switzerland, dating to 232 million years ago during the middle Triassic period (Ladinian stage).

## Paleobiology

### Size

Tanystropheus was a large animal. It was from 3(10ft) to 6 m (20 ft). Tanystropheus looked much like a nothosaur, only with smaller head.

### Neck

Tanystropheus is characterized by extremely long neck. Earlier it was thought that *tanystropheus* held his neck above water and watched down. When it saw fish it poored his neck with the head into the water and caught fish. However this was impossible, because a) itsneck was very delicate;b)It couldn't held its neck above the ground, it was too long;c)It had poor sense of vision.
But further studies by D.Dixon showed that Tanystropheus' neck was strengthened by long ribs, which overlapped one another. This adaptation may have helped him to hold its neck straight while swimming.

## Paleoecology

With its incredibly long but relatively stiff neck,*Tanystropheus* has been often proposed and reconstructed as an aquatic or semi-aquatic reptile, a theory supported by the fact that the creature is most commonly found in semiaquatic fossil sites wherein known terrestrial reptile remains are scarce. *Tanystropheus* is most often considered to have been piscivorous (or 'fish-eating'), due to the presence of a long, narrow snout sporting sharp interlocking teeth. In several young specimens, three-cusped cheek teeth are present in the jaw, which might indicate an insectivorous diet; however, similar teeth patterns have been found in *Eudimorphodon* and *Langobardisaurus*, both of whom are considered piscivores. Additionally, hooklets from cephalopod tentacles and what may be fish scales have been found near the belly regions of some specimens.

Tanystropheus was not the only the only prolacertiform in Triassic seas. In China his fossils were found among those of Dinocephalosaurus, a protorosaur practically similar to Tanystropheus, only slightly smaller. Cosesaurus had shorter neck than Tanystropheus's but still was an effective predator.
Most of prolaceriformes were relatively similar to each other by having a long neck, small head and shortened tail. Some paleontologists even suggested that when the tail of *tanystropheus* was bitten off it could regrove it, like a lizard. But even with all of these biological innovations, prolacertiformes did not last long - towards Middle Triassic they vanished.
The real mystery of protorosaurs and tanystropheids is how they co-existed with each other. It seems that they occupied similar ecological nieche, but perhaps protorosaurs could do something, tanystropheids couldn't - raise their necks. Caudal vertebrae of animals, like Protorosaurus were short and robust, meaning that they were also very powerful.

## Discoveries

*Tanystropheus* remains were first found by Francisko Bassani. He names the creature "Tribeselodon". His reconstruction shows it as a flying animal. But 30 years before, from Germany Hermann von Meyer describes a marine creature he calls -"Tanystropheus". However, by next 100 years, "Tribeselodon" was thought to be its own species. Even famous *Franz Nopzca* made his reconstruction. Only in 1968 E.Kui-Schneider puts "Tribeselodon" to "Tanystropheus".

In 2007, in China was found a skeleton of a juvenile Tanystropheus.

## Dinosaur Field Guide Description

Tanystropheus ("long vertebrae") is a strange-looking reptile from the Middle Triassic of Italy. While most animals change shape as they get older, few reptiles changed as much as Tanystropheus! The main change was in the size of the neck. Baby Tanystropheus had necks shorter than their legs, but adult Tanystrophes had necks longer than the rest of their bodies (head, back, and tail) combined! Although the neck became very long, no neck vertebrae were added. Instead, each vertebra became longer and longer. Some paleontologists think that Tanystropheus used its long neck to swim into schools of fish and sweep its jaws through them. Others think that the super-long neck was used as a form of display, like the huge tail of a peacock. Both ideas may be correct.

### Fun Facts

The first bones of Tanystropheus found were thought to be part of an early pterosaur.

### Trivia

Before they found complete skeletons, paleontologists thought the neck vertebrae of Tanystropheus were from a dinosaur like Coelophysis.

## Appearance in other media

### *Jurassic Park*

* Tanystropheus appeared in the Jurassic World toys.

## References

1. ↑ A new specimen of Tanystropheus (Reptilia Protorosauria) from the Middle Triassic of Switzerland and the ecology of the genus, S. Renesto
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tanystropheus (Archosauromorpha, Prolacertiformes) remains from the Triassic of the Northern Friuli (NE Italy),F.M. DALLA VECCHIA
3. ↑ A New Specialized Prolacertilian (Reptilia: Archosauromorpha) from the Lower Triassic of the Orenburg Region, A.G. Sennikov
4. ↑ NOVYE TANISTROFEIDY (REPTILIA: ARCHOSAUROMORPHA) IZ TRIASA EVROPYA, G. Sennikov
5. ↑ Dal Sasso, C. and Brillante, G. (2005). Dinosaurs of Italy. Indiana University Press.
6. ↑ A Triassic aquatic protorosaur with an extremely long neck;C. Li, O. Rieppel
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Dinosaurs"
8. ↑ A new species of Macrocnemus (Reptilia: Protorosauria) from the Middle Triassic of southwestern China and its palaeogeographical implication, C Li, LJ Zhao
9. ↑ The prolacertid LepidosaurianCosesaurus aviceps Ellenberger & Villalta, a claimed ĞProtoavian from the Middle Triassic of Spain, J.L. Sanz
10. ↑ Biochronology of Triassic marine reptiles, S.G.Lucas
11. ↑ A new protorosaur (Diapsida) from the Upper Buntsandstein of the Black Forest, Germany, N.C. Fraser
12. ↑ A juvenile Tanystropheus sp.(Protoro sauria: Tanystropheidae) from the Middle Triassic of Guizhou, China; L. Chun
13. ↑ First record of protorosaurid reptile (Order Protorosauria) from the Middle Triassic of China, L.I. Chun