Was it the dominant predator during the Triassic period, or the king of dragons?

In the Triassic period, ichthyosaurs, pinnipeds and thalassosaurs were the three main groups of marine reptiles. Among them, ichthyosaurs and pinnipeds radiated and evolved rapidly, seizing the initiative in occupying ecological niches. Their fossils are widely distributed around the world, and many complete fossils have been unearthed. Research on them also started relatively early, so they have become the big names that cannot be ignored when talking about this period.

Restoration of Xinfulong

The thalassos had a miserable life. Not only were there not many "dragons" themselves and they were in a very limited position, but they died prematurely and withdrew from the drama of the evolution of life on Earth before the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event even began.

However, they are not without their moments of glory. They have flourished in the oceans of some local areas, and the Xinpulong is the most prosperous group among them.

The fossils of Xinpusaurus were only found in the Wayao section of the Upper Triassic Franc Formation in Xinpu Township, Guanling, Guizhou, but there are a large number of specimens. Their body length is generally about 1 meter, and some large individuals are over 2 meters. Unlike Anshunsaurus, which belongs to the Mystosauridae, they only have 5 cervical vertebrae and a short neck, but both have long tails, because they mainly rely on the lateral swing of their tails to move in the water, and their limbs play a role in controlling direction. In order to adapt to life in the water, their limbs are specialized into paddle-shaped flippers, but they still retain a certain ability to move on land, but they are not very agile.

Chuangkong Sea Lily & Sun's Xinpu Dragon Fossils - Dragon Swimming Lily Room

As long as they are in the water, they can perform their violent hunting skills: after discovering the target, they quickly approach it and use their flexible bodies to whip the prey like a lightning whip until it is unconscious and loses the ability to escape, and then they take it away. Of course, this trick is mainly aimed at flexible fish. After knocking the prey unconscious, they will bite the prey with the conical sharp teeth at the front of their jaws.

However, Xinpusaurus was not a picky predator. In addition to the sharp teeth in the front of its jaw, it also had button-shaped, relatively blunt teeth in the back, which means that shelled mollusks were also on its menu. Their fossils were found in the same burial environment as Anshunsaurus, which lived in coastal areas, which also proves this point. The rich variety and source of food became the reason for their prosperity.

Restoration of Xinfulong

During the study of Xinpusaurus, three species were identified: Sun's Xinpusaurus, Bamolin Xinpusaurus and Ge's Xinpusaurus. However, except for the difference in snout length, the other identification features are very similar. In addition, most of the fossil specimens collected from the latter two lack integrity. Therefore, some scholars believe that only Sun's Xinpusaurus can be identified as a valid species. The difference in snout length may be caused by different growth processes or sexual dimorphism. This situation is also a side reflection of the low diversity of sea dragon species. However, in the study of the Triassic marine ecological environment, the fossils of each species are not insignificant and may contain important clues that are worth exploring.

The above is what we shared in this issue. See you next time if you are interested.