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Trachelosauridae
Trachelosauridae (also known as Dinocephalosauridae) is an extinct clade of archosauromorph reptiles that lived throughout the Triassic period. Like their close relatives the tanystropheids, they were " protorosaur"-grade archosauromorphs characterized by their long necks. Unlike tanystropheids, which lengthen their neck primarily by elongating the individual cervical (neck) vertebrae, trachelosaurids achieved their long necks by the addition of more vertebrae. The most extreme example of this trend was '' Dinocephalosaurus'', which had at least 32 vertebrae in the neck alone, far more than the 13 neck vertebrae of ''Tanystropheus''. Trachelosaurids are known from Europe (Poland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands) and China. Some members of the family (i.e. ''Dinocephalosaurus'') were solely marine animals with paddle-like limbs, inhabiting the coastlines of the Tethys Ocean. ''Dinocephalosaurus'' was so specialized for aquatic life that it evolved to be viviparous (live-bearing), th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gracilicollum
''Gracilicollum'' (meaning "slender neck") is an extinct genus of likely tanysaurian archosauromorph from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Guanling Formation of China. The genus contains a Monotypic taxon, single species, ''G. latens'', known from a skull and partial neck. Discovery and naming The ''Gracilicollum'' holotype specimen, IVPP V 15636, was discovered in sediments of the Guanling Formation (Member II), dated to the Anisian age of the middle Triassic period, near Xinmin Village in Panzhou, Guizhou Province, China. The specimen, preserved on two blocks, consists of a skull preserved in ventral view articulated with a partial cervical vertebral column of at least 17 vertebrae in lateral view. In 2023, Wang et al. Species description, described ''Gracilicollum latens'', a new genus and species of tanystropheid archosauromorphs, based on these fossil remains. The Genus, generic name, "''Gracilicollum''", combines the Latin words "gracilis", meaning "slender", and "collum", ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
