Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Around 242 million years ago, a reptile with a neck three times ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In shallow waters about 242 million years ago, a strange marine reptile built unlike any other animal ever on Earth hunted for fish and squid, using an inordinately elongated ...

Previously, it was thought the smaller fossils were the baby version of the fully-grown Tanystropheus. The smaller specimens looked very similar but were only about 4 feet long compared to 20 feet.

A fossil called Tanystropheus was first described in 1852, and it’s been puzzling scientists ever since. At one point, paleontologists thought it was a flying pterosaur, like a pterodactyl, and that ...