200-year-old
fossil mystery resolved
By Helen Briggs BBC News
Scientists have reconstructed how an ancient
reptile swam in the oceans at the time of the dinosaurs.Computer simulations
suggest the plesiosaur moved through the water like a penguin, using its front
limbs as paddles and back limbs for steering.The creature's swimming gait has
been a mystery since bones of the first known specimen were dug out of a Dorset
cliff 200 years ago.The plesiosaur was discovered by the fossil hunter Mary
Anning in 1821.At the time even the name dinosaur had not been invented. A
scientific paper unveiling Anning's find a few years later raised the question
of how the marine creature swam, given its unusual pairs of wing-like flippers.The
debate has continued until today, with a computer simulation based on a
Jurassic fossil specimen providing evidence in favour of penguin-like motion.
Read rest see pics here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35115195
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