Palaeontology
Dinosaurs struggled with arthritis too
By
T.K. RandallMay 18, 2012 ·
13 comments
Image Credit: Tor Sponga, BT
It isn't just humans that suffer from conditions like arthritis, even the dinosaurs suffered from it.
Scientists have found evidence of the degenerative disorder in the jaws of a pliosaur, a sea-dwelling reptile that lived over 150 million years ago. The creature would have suffered from the condition for several years, resulting in a crooked jaw that would have eventually left it unable to eat.
"In the same way that aging humans develop arthritic hips, this old lady developed an arthritic jaw, and survived with her disability for some time," said Judyth Sassoon. "But an unhealed fracture on the jaw indicates that at some time, the jaw weakened and eventually broke. With a broken jaw, the pliosaur would not have been able to feed and that final accident probably led to her demise."
Scientists found signs of a degenerative condition similar to human arthritis in the jaw of a pliosaur, a dinosaur-like ancient sea reptile that lived 150 million years ago.
Source:
New York Daily News |
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