retains a relatively primitive structure

These plates and spines were fused to the underlying bones

and the skull structure indicates powerful masticatory musculature that enhanced its feeding efficiency

Its jaws were equipped with multiple rows of constantly renewing teeth

Tanystropheus longobardicus Silesaurus retains a relatively primitive structureDuring the Middle Triassic, the coastal ecosystems of the supercontinent Pangaea hosted a diverse and, in many cases, morphologically unusual reptilian fauna. Prominent among these forms is Tanystropheus longobardicus , a basal archosauromorph whose unique anatomy has been the subject of extensive paleobiological and functional debate. This reptile is mainly characterized by an extremely elongated neck composed of disproportionately long cervical