
The postcranial morphology of the extremely long-necked Tanystropheus hydroides is well-known, but observations of skull morphology were previously limited due to compression of the known specimens. Here we provide a detailed description of the skull of PIMUZ T 2790, including a partial endocast and endosseous labyrinth, based on synchrotron microtomographic data, and compare its morphology to that of other early Archosauromorpha. In many features, such as the wide and flattened snout and the configuration of the temporal and palatal regions, Tanystropheus hydroides differs strongly from other early archosauromorphs. The braincase possesses a combination of derived archosaur traits, such as the presence of a laterosphenoid and the ossification of the lateral wall of the braincase, but also differs from archosauriforms in the morphology of the ventral ramus of the opisthotic, the horizontal orientation of the parabasisphenoid, and the absence of a clearly defined crista prootica. Tanystropheus hydroides was a ram-feeder that likely caught its prey through a laterally directed snapping bite. Although the cranial morphology of other archosauromorph lineages is relatively well-represented, the skulls of most tanystropheid taxa remain poorly understood due to compressed and often fragmentary specimens. The recent descriptions of the skulls of Macrocnemus bassanii and now Tanystropheus hydroides reveal a large cranial disparity in the clade, reflecting wide ecological diversity, and highlighting the importance of non-archosauriform Archosauromorpha to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems during the Triassic.
Aquatic adaptations, 10125 Department of Paleontology, Tanystropheidae, Endocranial anatomy, QH301-705.5, Genetics and Molecular Biology, 1100 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Synchrotron microtomography, 1300 General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Biology (General), Functional morphology, General Neuroscience, R, 2800 General Neuroscience, General Medicine, Triassic, Evolutionary Studies, Archosauromorpha, 560 Fossils & prehistoric life, Tanystropheus, Cranial anatomy, General Biochemistry, Medicine, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Aquatic adaptations, 10125 Department of Paleontology, Tanystropheidae, Endocranial anatomy, QH301-705.5, Genetics and Molecular Biology, 1100 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Synchrotron microtomography, 1300 General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Biology (General), Functional morphology, General Neuroscience, R, 2800 General Neuroscience, General Medicine, Triassic, Evolutionary Studies, Archosauromorpha, 560 Fossils & prehistoric life, Tanystropheus, Cranial anatomy, General Biochemistry, Medicine, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
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