Soft tissue of a plesiosaur reveals it had scales similar to those of sea turtles

A small team of archaeologists, geologists, paleontologists and climate scientists has found that at least one type of plesiosaur had scales on its flippers similar to modern sea turtle species. For their study, published in the journal Current Biology, the group examined a unique specimen that had been locked away in a vault for the past 75 years.

In 1940, researchers in Germany unearthed a fossil at a quarry near the city of Holzmaden, which they recognized as a plesiosaur; it was subsequently hidden away in a museum garden to protect it during World War II. After the war, it was unearthed from the museum garden and placed in storage, where it remained until 2020—only then was the fossil studied in close detail.

The new research team confirmed it was a plesiosaur from approximately 183 million years ago, a marine reptile that lived during the time of the dinosaurs and died out after the extinction event. They also noted that it had been preserved in better condition than any other fossil of its kind due to being embedded in Posidonia Shale. Its condition was so good that the researchers could make out skin nuclei under a microscope.

As with other plesiosaurs, the specimen under study had a serpentine neck, two pairs of flippers and a mouth with strong jaw muscles and sharp teeth. Scientists have known about plesiosaurs for a couple of centuries and have a general understanding of their anatomy, but these new findings provide more details about their exact appearance.

The specimen has allowed the researchers to more accurately model the creature, providing insight into its behavior and its habitat. The findings have also overturned some theories regarding its appearance, which means that its evolutionary history will need revision.

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