Archovember 2024 Day 27 - Tanystropheus longobardicus
Our last non-archosaur archosauromorph of this Archovember (say that 5 times fast) is Tanystropheus longobardicus. This archosauromorph lived in the Middle Triassic of what is today the border of Italy and Switzerland. It’s most recognizable feature is its long neck, made up of 13 lengthened vertebrae, that stretched out longer than its body and tail combined! What it was doing with this long neck is the subject of debate. The neck was not very flexible, made of long, stiff vertebrae, though it was lightweight and stabilized by tendons. Tanystropheus was likely a fish-eater, with T. longobardicus in particular being equipped with three-cusped teeth suited for holding onto slippery prey, and fish scales and cephalopod hooklets have been found in the stomach region of some specimens. Its body did not seem to have many adaptations for swimming, though its muscular hindlimbs and tail may have allowed for short bursts of active swimming in shallow water. It’s hypothesized that Tanystropheus was a semi-aquatic ambush predator, either using its long neck to reach across the water and snap up fish like a heron, or waiting in the water like a turtle, its body unseen and long neck appearing like an innocent branch.
Tanystropheus longobardicus was the smallest of the known species of Tanystropheus. It lived alongside the larger, bulkier T. hydroides, while even larger Tanystropheus specimens have been found in Germany and Poland. Fossils have also been found in Canada and China, meaning this genus may have had a worldwide distribution. But T. longobardicus in particular lived in the Besano Formation. It was set apart from the larger T. hydroides by its small size, narrow triangular head, and tricuspid teeth in the back of its skull. Meanwhile, the larger T. hydroides had a broader skull and long interlocking fangs. The two species likely did not compete, as T. hydroides would have preferred much larger fish than T. longobardicus. But these were not the only tanystropheids in the Bessano Formation. They would have also lived alongside the smaller, shorter-necked, terrestrial tanystropheid Macrocnemus bassanii. On land, Tanystropheus longobardicus would have had to worry about the early rauisuchian Ticinosuchus. In the sea, Tanystropheus would have had to look out for the nothosaur Nothosaurus, large thalattosaurs like Askeptosaurus, large predatory fish like Birgeria, and even large icthyosaurs like Besanosaurus and Cymbospondylus. It may have also come across smaller icthyosaurs like Mixosaurus, Phalarodon, and Wimanius, as well as placodonts like Cyamodus and Paraplacodus, pachypleurosaurs like Serpianosaurus and Odoiporosaurus, and other reptiles like Silvestrosaurus, Helveticosaurus, and Eusaurosphargis. It could have eaten small fish like Aetheodontus, Cephaloxenus, and Luganoia, and even small coelocanths like Ticinepomis.
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