Ancient Marine Reptile Unveils Whale-Like Filter-Feeding

A new fossil discovery in China reveals that the marine reptile Hupehsuchus, which lived 250 million years ago, had adaptations for whale-like filter feeding. The skull of Hupehsuchus shows soft structures that allowed it to engulf water containing prey and baleen whale-like structures to filter food. The discovery suggests that these reptiles independently evolved a form of baleen, similar to modern baleen whales. This finding sheds light on the rapid re-population of the oceans after the end-Permian mass extinction and the ecological changes that occurred during the Early Triassic period.