Atopodentatus
Atopodentatus Temporal range:
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Life restoration in a swimming posture, with Dinocephalosaurus in the background | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Neodiapsida |
Superorder: | †Sauropterygia |
Genus: | †Atopodentatus Cheng et al., 2014 |
Type species | |
†Atopodentatus unicus Cheng et al., 2014
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Atopodentatus is an
A near complete skeleton along with a left lateral portion of the skull were discovered near Daaozi village, Yunnan, China. The scientific name derives from the peculiar zipper-shaped morphology of the holotype specimen's jaws and unique dentition.[2] However, two fossil skulls discovered in 2016 indicate that the holotype skull was badly damaged, and that the living animal actually had a hammer-shaped head with shovel-like jaws.[5]
Description
Atopodentatus was a medium-sized reptile measuring about 2.75 m (9.0 ft) long.[1] The geological strata in which the fossil was found, the elongated body, reduced neck, robust appendages and hips of Atopodentatus all suggest that the animal was probably semi-aquatic in nature.[2][6]
Originally, the upper mandible of Atopodentatus was believed to have small teeth running along the jawline, and then up along a vertical split in the middle of the upper jaw. This gave the upper jaw the appearance of a "zipper smile of little teeth". The upper jaw was believed to have hooked downwards.[6] Discoveries in 2016, however, overthrew these findings, and revealed that Atopodentatus actually had a hammer-shaped head, with a bank of chisel-shaped teeth, that was useful in rooting the seabed for food.[7][8]
Discovery and naming
The genus name Atopodentatus is derived from the Ancient Greek atopos (άτοπος), meaning "unusual",[note 1] combined with Latin dentatus, "toothed", referring to the unusual arrangement and shape of the teeth. The specific name "unicus" is also in reference to its unique anatomy.[2]
Palaeoecology
Due to its bizarre dentition, Atopodentatus was formerly considered to be a
Notes
References
- ^ S2CID 7770583.
- ^ a b c d Prostak, Sergio (17 February 2014). "Atopodentatus unicus: Bizarre New Fossil Reptile Discovered in China". Sci-News.com. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ a b c Geggel,LiveScience, Laura. "Fearsome Dinosaur-Age "Hammerhead" Reptile Ate... Plants?". Scientific American. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
- ^ "Ancient Reptile Ate Like an Underwater Lawn Mower". National Geographic News. 2016-05-06. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
- ^ Davis, Nicola (2016-05-06). "Atopodentatus was a hammerheaded herbivore, new fossil find shows". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ^ a b c Switek, Brian (5 February 2014). "Atopodentatus Will Blow Your Mind". Laelaps (blog). National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on February 5, 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ "Ancient hammerhead creature may have been world’s first vegetarian sea reptile". Science, By Sid Perkins. May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Nailing the reconstruction of a hammerhead reptile". Toronto Star, May 14, 2016, page IN5. by Ben Guarino
- S2CID 232346834.
- PMID 27386529.