Tanystropheus

Tanystropheus longobardicus

Period

Triassic

Location

Europe (Switzerland, Italy), Middle East, China

Length

5-6 meters

Weight

100-150 kg

Diet

Carnivore (fish, cephalopods)

Category

Prehistoric Reptiles - Other Reptiles

Family

Tanystropheidae

About Tanystropheus

Tanystropheus longobardicus

Overview

Tanystropheus is one of the strangest reptiles ever discovered! Living during the Middle Triassic, approximately 242-235 million years ago, this bizarre creature had a neck that was longer than its body and tail combined! At up to 6 meters long, with a 3-meter neck, Tanystropheus looked like something from a fever dream—but it was very real.

Taxonomy & Classification

  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Reptilia
  • Order: Protorosauria
  • Family: Tanystropheidae
  • Diet: Carnivorous (fish eater)

Tanystropheus belongs to an extinct group of reptiles called protorosaurs or tanystropheids.

Physical Characteristics

Extreme Proportions

  • Total length: 5-6 meters (16-20 feet)
  • Neck length: Up to 3 meters (10 feet)!
  • Body: Relatively small and compact
  • Weight: Estimated 100-150 kg

The Incredible Neck

  • Longer than body + tail combined!
  • Only 12-13 vertebrae (but each very elongated)
  • Relatively stiff and not very flexible
  • Could move up and down more than side to side

Other Features

  • Small head with sharp teeth
  • Four legs of moderate size
  • Long tail for balance
  • Teeth suggest a fish-eating diet

Why Such a Long Neck?

The Big Question

Scientists have debated this for decades:

  • Fishing tool? Reach into water from shore
  • Ambush hunting? Hide body, strike with head
  • Aquatic lifestyle? Swim and hunt fish
  • Display? Attract mates
  • Probably a combination of hunting and lifestyle!

Lifestyle Debate

Land vs. Water

Scientists now believe Tanystropheus was semi-aquatic:

  • Probably lived near water (coastlines, lagoons)
  • May have spent time in shallow water
  • Used neck to catch fish without swimming
  • Could also hunt from shore
  • 2020 study confirmed it was likely aquatic

Stiff, Not Flexible

A Rigid Neck

Unlike a snake or swan:

  • The neck was relatively stiff
  • Long vertebrae had limited mobility
  • Moved more like a fishing rod than a hose
  • Couldn't coil or curve dramatically
  • This was a precision hunting tool

Diet

Fish Hunter

Tanystropheus ate:

  • Fish (main prey)
  • Cephalopods (squid-like animals)
  • Small marine creatures
  • Evidence from tooth shape and gut contents

Discovery

Confusing Fossils

  • First fossils found in 1800s
  • Long neck bones were thought to be wing bones!
  • Initially mistaken for a pterosaur
  • Correctly identified in 1886 by Francesco Bassani
  • Name means "long vertebra"

Two Species?

Big and Small

Recent research suggests:

  • Large adults: Up to 6 meters, ate fish
  • Small forms: May be juveniles OR separate species
  • The small ones had different teeth (for eating invertebrates)
  • This is still being debated by scientists!

Habitat

Triassic Coastlines

Tanystropheus lived along:

  • Shallow tropical seas
  • Lagoons and coastlines
  • Areas that are now Switzerland and Italy
  • Also found in Middle East and China

Extinction

End of the Line

Tanystropheus disappeared:

  • During the Late Triassic
  • As marine ecosystems changed
  • Before the end-Triassic extinction
  • No direct descendants survived

Cool Facts

  • Tanystropheus had a neck longer than its body and tail combined!
  • The neck had only 12-13 vertebrae—but each was extremely long
  • Scientists first thought its neck bones were pterosaur wings!
  • It was probably semi-aquatic, living near water
  • The neck was relatively stiff, not flexible like a snake
  • Adults could reach 6 meters (20 feet) in total length
  • Its name means "long vertebra" in Greek
  • Recent 3D scanning revealed it was more aquatic than previously thought

Tanystropheus is proof that evolution can produce truly bizarre body plans—a fishing reptile with a neck so long it defies imagination!