Your New Dinosaur Sucks (Literally)

Does anybody remember Dino-Riders?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A long-necked sea reptile that lived millions of years ago in what is now China may have used its stiff neck to sneak up on unsuspecting prey and suck them in, scientists said on Friday.

Dubbed Dinocephalosaurus orientalis or "terrible-headed lizard from the Orient," the monster had a neck 5.5 feet long, topped by a tiny head. At the other end was its big round body.

It may have been able to sidle up its small head to a fish or squid and devour the unwitting prey before the body hove into view, the researchers report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

"To a fish in murky water, Dinocephalosaurus' head would have initially looked like another animal its own size, but by the time the fish was able to see Dinocephalosaurus' body, it would already have been lunch," said Michael LaBarbera, a biologist at the University of Chicago.

Experts note that the Coultersaurus, another marine species, used similar methods to hunt.

"To most males, Coultersaurus would have initally looked like the female gender, but by the time the poor bastard is able to see her Adam's apple, it's already too late," said Dr. Raymond Stantz of Columbia University.

Coultersaurus