The fossil origin and body characteristics of Mamenchisaurus

2023-04-05 02:11:07 227

Mamenchisaurus is one of the largest sauropod dinosaurs discovered in China. The length of a standard tennis court is 23.77 meters. Mamenchisaurus reached 25 meters, which is really unimaginable. There are many cavities in its spine, so its weight of 12 tons is not an exaggeration compared to its huge body. The total length of Mamenchisaurus from the tip of its tail to the tip of its nose is 25 meters, and its body is nearly 4 meters tall. Its neck is extremely long, about 14 meters, which is equivalent to half of its body length. It is the longest neck of any animal that has ever lived on earth. If Mamenchisaurus were standing on the ground, its head would easily stick through the window of the third-floor room. Structurally, the long cervical ribs of Mamenchisaurus "bundled" several cervical vertebrae together like plaster splints. Once the long neck is raised and bent in an "S" shape, the neck ribs will pierce the neck skin and other soft tissues at the places where the bending amplitude is large, especially at the back of the neck, causing serious damage to the body. .

The Late Jurassic, 145 million years ago, was covered with vast, dense forests, with redwood trees growing everywhere, and groups of Mamenchisaurus often passing through the forest. The teeth of Mamenchisaurus are not like the spike-shaped teeth of diplodocides, but are spoon-shaped, which may be more suitable for the vegetation at that time.

The long neck of Mamenchisaurus is due to the length of each cervical vertebra that makes up the neck, and the number of cervical vertebrae as many as 19, which is the most among sauropods. In addition, the cervical ribs are also the longest among all dinosaurs (the longest cervical rib can reach 2.1 meters). Compared with the cervical vertebrae, there are relatively few dorsal vertebrae (12), sacral vertebrae (4) and coccygeal vertebrae (35).

The tail of Mamenchisaurus also accounts for another large part of the body. The tail can be swung at supersonic speeds (computer model calculation results), emitting as much power as a cannon, and can be used for defense. Architectural design engineers said that the neck and tail of Mamenchisaurus, combined with the body part, resembled a suspension bridge (such as the Golden Gate Bridge). The vertebrae are like the steel cables of a suspension bridge, supporting the neck and tail and transmitting weight to the body, feet and the ground. The body parts are like bridge towers, transmitting weight to the ground. The suspension bridge model of Mamenchisaurus is not balanced because its neck and tail lengths are uneven, with a longer neck and a shorter tail. However, with current engineering technology, it is very difficult to build a suspension bridge like the Mamen River Dragon Style.