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Prehistoric Sea Monster The hind limbs of the magical dragon are longer than the forelimbs
Wakayama Prefecture is located in the southwest of the Kii Peninsula on the island of Honshu, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean in the south, and is mountainousToyajo). Paleontologists have found many fossils of paleontology near the summit of Mt. Toriyajo, and the stratum in which the fossils are located is named the Toyajo Formation after the peak.
Caption: The three-storied pagoda of Aogandoji Temple in Wakayama Prefecture and the waterfall on Mt. Nachi, ** from the Internet.
The Toriyajo Formation can be traced back to the Late Cretaceous, and it was in the Hasegawa argillaceous sandstone section of the formation that paleontologists discovered fossils belonging to the class Cangsaurus, which are still quite complete and even show a linked state, with the fossil number WMNH-GE-1140240002. According to the preserved parts of the fossils, there are complete skulls, mandibles, cervical vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae, a pair of anterior flippers and a left hind flipper. It was with such a complete fossil that paleontologists were able to identify it as belonging to the genus Megapterygius and in December 2023 named it Megapterygius, a genus name derived from the Greek words "mégas" (meaning "huge") and "pterygion" (meaning "wings"), because of its very large flippers. The type species of Megapinnosaurus is named Megapterygius wakayamaensis, and the species name comes from Wakayama Prefecture, where the fossil was found.
Caption: The fossils of the cangsaurus found in Wakayama Prefecture are still quite complete, ** from the Internet.
Caption: The fossils are still quite complete, ** from the Internet.
Caption: Restoration of Megalosaurus and fossil display, **from the Internet.
Megalosaurus was a medium-sized dragon with a body length of more than 6 meters, and its name comes from its long and wide flippers, four of which are even longer than an 80-centimeter head, which is unique among the dragons. Not only are the flippers of the Megapinnosaurus long, but the fins in the back are longer than those in the front, which is also rare.
Caption: Comparison of the size of the Megafinosaurus with humans, ** from the Internet.
Caption: Restoration of the Megafinosaurus, ** from the Internet.
Caption: Fossilized flippers of Megalosaurus, **from the Internet.
In addition to the flippers, which are larger than the head, the fossils of Megalodon also show a peculiarity in that the nerve spines on the dorsal vertebrae of the 17th to 21st have a distinct directional rotation, which is also found in today's cetaceans, just corresponding to the dorsal fin. It is precisely because of this characteristic that paleontologists believe that the dorsal fin may have been on the back of the megafin, so there are dorsal fins on the reconstruction drawings of the megafins, but whether this structure really exists is still debated.
Caption: Comparison between the unique dorsal vertebral nerve spines and directional flip of the megalosaurus and today's cetaceans, **from**.
Caption: Restoration of a Megafined Dragon with a dorsal fin, **from the Internet.
Why did the Megalosaurus have such a large four-flipper limb? Paleontologists have further studied the fossils of Megalosaurus and found that the humeral heads of its forelimbs are saddle-shaped, with thick medial sides, which can make a wide range of adduction and abduction movements, and can quickly change direction. The femoral head of the hind limbs of the megafinnid dragon was more rounded, allowing it to rotate quickly for braking, and it was able to move quickly and steer flexibly in the water, considering that it had a crescent-shaped tail that generated strong thrust. Matched by its athletic prowess, the Megapinnosaurus's wide skull gave it binocular vision, making it the second type of cangosaurus to possess binocular vision after Phosphorosaurus.
Caption: The phosphate dragon in "Prehistoric Planet", ** from the Internet.
Caption: Phosphate dragons have binocular vision unique to the family of dragons, ** from the Internet.
Superior vision + excellent athleticism, the combination of dual abilities probably means that Megalosaurus was very good at catching agile and small prey, such as fish and cephalopods. When spotting schools of fish and squid, the Megalodian will chase quickly and turn around quickly to catch more food. Despite their size, the Megalosaurus was not as brutal as other large dragons, and was likely to be food for these big creatures. Interestingly, in the strata surrounding the Megalosaurus fossil, paleontologists have found hundreds of teeth belonging to the Horn shark class, suggesting that the Megalosaurus was eaten by sharks after its death.
Caption: Megalosaurus hunts ammonites in a dark ocean, ** from the Internet.
The discovery of the Megalosaurus, which lived in the late Cretaceous period 72 million years ago, has once again enriched the diversity of the Cangsaurus family, making it one of the most unique new varieties of the Cangsaurus family discovered in 2023!
References: Konishi, Takuya; ohara, masaaki; misaki, akihiro; matsuoka, hiroshige; street, hallie p.; caldwell, michael w. (2023). "a new derived mosasaurine (squamata: mosasaurinae) from south-westernjapanreveals unexpected postcranial diversity among hydropedal mosasaurs". journal of systematic palaeontology. 21 (1). doi:10.1080/14772019.2023.2277921
Text edit: Microraptor.
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