Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • Educational Assets
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Hammerhead Marine Reptile – First Herbivore of its Kind

By R&D Editors | May 9, 2016

Fossil and reconstruction of Atopodentatus unicus. Source: Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of SciencesWith a maw like a vacuum cleaner, Atopodentatus unicus lived 242 million years ago, following the Permian-Triassic extinction event. It also, as researchers publishing in Science Advances claim, is the earliest example of an herbivorous marine reptile.

The research was a collaboration between the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, the Field Museum of Natural History, Wuhan Centre of China Geological Survey, and the National Museum of Scotland.

According to National Geographic, the first specimen of the species was discovered in 2014. Found in southwestern China, the specimen measured close to three meters-long, with a mouth cock-full of needle-like teeth.

“Atopodentatus, about (2.75 meters) long, lived in a shallow sea in China’s Yunnan Province alongside fish and other marine reptiles,” Wuhan Centre of China Geological Survey’s Cheng Long said in a statement. “When thinking of hammerhead creatures, sharks may come to mind. But Atopodentatus’ hammerhead feature differed in location and function from sharks, whose eyes are on the end of lateral extensions on their head.” 

The two new specimens that the Science Advances study is based on were dug up from the Middle Triassic Guanling Formation of China’s Luoping County, located in the Yunnan Province. According to the researchers, the creature’s hammerhead jaw had peg-like teeth along the edge, with the needle-like teeth located further into its mouth.

“The evidence indicates a novel feeding mechanism wherein the chisel-shaped teeth were used to scrape algae off the substrate, and the plant matter that was loosened was filtered from the water column through the more posteriorly positioned tooth mesh,” the researchers wrote.

According to study co-author Olivier Rieppel, of the Field Museum of Natural History, the feeding method Atopodentatus unicus employed was similar to how baleen whales filter-feed.

The species predates other herbivorous, filter-feeding animals by about 8 million years. 

R&D 100 AWARD ENTRIES NOW OPEN:

Establish your company as a technology leader! For more than 50 years, the R&D 100 Awards have showcased new products of technological significance. You can join this exclusive community! Learn more.

Related Articles Read More >

Breakthrough in the Discovery of DNA in Ancient Bones Buried in Water
Traces of Crawling in Italian Cave Give Clues to Ancient Humans’ Social Behavior
Freshwater Mussel Shells Were Material of Choice For Prehistoric Craftsmen
Middle Pleistocene Human Skull Reveals Variation and Continuity in Early Asian Humans
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • Educational Assets
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE