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	Two-headed Reptile Fossil Found
Natalie Ultimate Fish Guru Apolay Wayyioy Posts: 4499 Kudos: 3730 Votes: 348 Registered: 01-Feb-2003	http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6195345.stm Wednesday, 20 December 2006 Scientists have found what is thought to be the first example of a two-headed reptile in the fossil record. The abnormal animal, belonging to a group of aquatic reptiles, was unearthed in northeastern China and dates to the time of the dinosaurs. The specimen reveals that it must have been very young when it died and became fossilised, says lead researcher Eric Buffetaut. Details of the fossil appear in the UK Royal Society journal Biology Letters. This animal was a choristoderan, an extinct reptile that reached a length of one metre in adulthood and was characterised by a long neck - two in this case. The animal's spinal column divided in two at the point where the neck emerges from the body. This formed two long necks that ended in two skulls. Choristoderans seem to have been common aquatic reptiles during the Cretaceous Period (144 to 65 million years ago) in what is now northeastern China. "To my knowledge, it is the only record of a vertebrate fossil showing that kind of malformation," Dr Buffetaut, director of research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, France. "Living animals like this are known. But if you compare the number of reptiles born with two heads with the total number of reptiles born, it is very small. "So the chances of finding a fossil like this are extremely low." The abnormality is known to occur with some frequency in modern reptiles; about 400 cases of two-headed snakes have been recorded in historic times. It is thought this can occur as a result of injury to an embryo. The specimen comes from Cretaceous rocks in the Yixian Formation of northeastern China. It is now held at the Shenzhen Museum in southern China. All I have to say is that this a really awesome discovery. I wonder if they will be able to tell if the animal lived for a while or if it died soon after hatching. The main difficulties two-headed reptiles face in the wild is that they cannot decide which way to travel, and occasionally in the case of snakes, one head will try to eat the other. I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Posted 20-Dec-2006 09:45
fish patty Fish Addict Posts: 539 Kudos: 223 Votes: 255 Registered: 04-Oct-2006	It looks like one of those two or even many headed creatures you see in science fiction movies. The main difficulties two-headed reptiles face in the wild is that they cannot decide which way to travel That sounds rather humorous, even though I imagine it's true. I have trouble making up my one mind sometimes, let alone if I had two minds!
Posted 21-Dec-2006 02:26
Okyrah Small Fry Posts: 7 Kudos: 4 Votes: 0 Registered: 10-Nov-2006	Ooh interesting, I did a speech in school about how dumb the evolution theory is, I will have to research this 55 Gallon Aquarium 10 Gallon Poison Dart Frog Viv (Soon) 30 Gallon Hex Paludarium
Posted 28-Dec-2006 07:20
Natalie Ultimate Fish Guru Apolay Wayyioy Posts: 4499 Kudos: 3730 Votes: 348 Registered: 01-Feb-2003	"How dumb the evolutionary theory is"? Wow, I really hope that comment was made in jest. Any school that tolerates a presentation on how "dumb" evolution is ought not to be called a school, in my opinion. Proper education is the primary goal of schools, not the teaching of religious superstitions. Don't even get me started on this subject. Seriously. I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Posted 28-Dec-2006 07:30
Joe Potato Fish Addict Kind of a Big Deal Posts: 869 Votes: 309 Registered: 09-Jan-2001	I did a speech in school about the stupidity of recycling. That got people going. Joe Potato
Posted 28-Dec-2006 08:31


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