A recent study has shown that Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum, a sauropod dinosaur that lived in China approximately 160 million years ago, had a neck that was approximately 15 meters long, making it the longest-necked dinosaur on record. The length of the neck was determined by comparing the incomplete Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum fossils with the skeleton of a giant sauropod called Xinjiangtitan, which was discovered in China in 2012. The study’s researchers are attempting to determine why Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum had such a long neck, which could have been used for sexual display or neck-butting contests between males fighting over mates and territory. However, the exact reason for the development of such an elongated neck is still unknown. It may have also hindered the dinosaur’s other functions, causing scientists to explore how it managed to hold up its neck and breathe. Despite having the longest neck of any dinosaur, Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum is not the largest dinosaur ever discovered.
According to a recent study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum, a sauropod dinosaur that roamed China about 160 million years ago, had a neck that was approximately 15 meters long, making it the longest-necked dinosaur on record. This sub-group of dinosaurs is known for their incredibly long necks. The only existing specimen of Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum was discovered in China in 1987, but the length of its neck was not previously clear due to the specimen being incomplete.
To calculate the length of its neck, scientists compared the incomplete Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum fossils with a complete sauropod skeleton of a giant sauropod called Xinjiangtitan, which was also found in China in 2012. Using a basic calculation method, scientists were able to determine the likely length of the neck of Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum by measuring the vertebrae in one dinosaur and the corresponding bone in the other.
It’s worth noting that although Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum has the longest neck ever recorded, it is not the largest dinosaur ever discovered. Its tail and body were relatively short, making its overall length smaller than that of some other sauropods.
For context, the length of its neck is approximately equivalent to the length of a city bus, as the largest buses in most Indian cities are about 12-13 meters long. Despite having a longer neck than any other dinosaur, it remains unclear why Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum evolved to have such an exceptionally long neck.
Scientists are attempting to uncover the reason behind Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum’s unusually long neck. Although it is known that sauropods’ long necks enable them to feed across longer distances while moving less, scientists believe that Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum’s neck served other purposes as well.
According to Paul Barrett, one of the researchers, the long neck could have been used for sexual display or neck-butting contests between males fighting over mates and territory, much like modern-day giraffes. However, the exact reason for the development of such an elongated neck is still unknown, and it is currently regarded as speculation.
The long neck of Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum may have also hindered its other functions, causing scientists to explore how it managed to hold up its neck and breathe. The task of holding up such a large neck would have required a lot of muscles, and there is also the question of how air was transported to the lungs and back up again. Barrett believes that these necks could have been a sexually selected feature, with only the strongest and fittest dinosaurs able to hold up such giant necks in impressive displays being able to mate.
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