A recent discovery in the fossil record has revealed a new species of prehistoric marine reptile with a unique filter feeding mechanism. This new species, named Atopodentatus, lived during the Late Triassic period about 247 million years ago and belonged to a group of extinct animals called sauropterygians. This group of reptiles lived in the oceans and were related to modern-day sea turtles and lizards. The most remarkable feature of Atopodentatus is its unique filter-feeding apparatus, which is similar to that of modern whales. Instead of using their teeth to tear up prey, Atopodentatus had a pair of large, curved structures resembling combs that were used to sift out small particles from the water. This discovery provides an important insight into the evolution of filter feeding and the development of modern whale species.

Read Full Article Here

source: Phys.org