大型鱼龙翼状鳍的隐身适应性，这一成果由瑞典隆德大学Dan-Eric Nilsson小组经过不懈努力而取得。相关论文发表在2025年7月16日出版的《自然》杂志上。

在这里，该课题组报告了侏罗纪大型鱼龙Temnodontosaurthem的一个一米长的前鳍的发现，包括其软组织解剖的独特细节。除了揭示一个翅膀状的平台外，化石还保留了一个锯齿状的后缘，该后缘由一种新型的软骨被膜（此处称为软骨皮）加强。研究团队还记录了弦平行的皮肤纹饰和一个延长的肉质远端，可能在生活中起着灵活的小翼状作用。通过综合形态学和数值数据，课题组研究人员发现观察到的特征可能提供了水声学的优势，并得出结论，视觉引导的兽齿龙在昏暗的远洋环境中狩猎时依赖于隐身。控制面变化的这种意想不到的组合代表了一种以前未被认识到的隐藏模式，并强调了软组织化石在推断古行为学和捕食者-猎物古生态学方面的重要性。

据悉，中生代鱼龙的外表与鲨鱼相似，为陆地四足动物祖先入侵海洋栖息地后的主要形态适应提供了一个经典的例证。研究小组对鱼龙软组织的了解大多来自有身体轮廓的标本。然而，尽管提供了对生物学方面的见解，否则仅从骨骼证据很难想象（如新月吸虫的存在），但迄今为止，关于它们柔软部分的信息仅限于分类学上小到海豚大小的动物的狭窄样本。

附：英文原文

Title: Adaptations for stealth in the wing-like flippers of a large ichthyosaur

Author: Lindgren, Johan, Lomax, Dean R., Szsz, Robert-Zoltn, Marx, Miguel, Revstedt, Johan, Gltz, Georg, Sachs, Sven, De La Garza, Randolph G., Heingrd, Miriam, Jarenmark, Martin, Ydstrm, Kristina, Sjvall, Peter, Osbck, Frank, Hall, Stephen A., Op de Beeck, Michiel, Eriksson, Mats E., Alwmark, Carl, Marone, Federica, Liptak, Alexander, Atwood, Robert, Burca, Genoveva, Uvdal, Per, Persson, Per, Nilsson, Dan-Eric

Issue&Volume: 2025-07-16

Abstract: With their superficially shark-like appearance, the Mesozoic ichthyosaurs provide a classic illustration of major morphological adaptations in an ancestrally terrestrial tetrapod lineage following the invasion of marine habitats1,2,3. Much of what is known about ichthyosaur soft tissues derives from specimens with body outlines4,5,6. However, despite offering insights into aspects of biology that are otherwise difficult to envisage from skeletal evidence alone (such as the presence of a crescentic fluke), information on their soft parts has hitherto been limited to a taxonomically narrow sample of small- to dolphin-sized animals2,4,5,6. Here we report the discovery of a metre-long front flipper of the large-bodied Jurassic ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus, including unique details of its soft-tissue anatomy. In addition to revealing a wing-like planform, the fossil preserves a serrated trailing edge that is reinforced by novel cartilaginous integumental elements, herein denominated chondroderms. We also document chordwise-parallel skin ornamentations and a protracted fleshy distal tip that presumably acted like a flexible winglet in life. By integrating morphological and numerical data, we show that the observed features probably provided hydroacoustic benefits, and conclude that the visually guided7,8 Temnodontosaurus relied on stealth while hunting in dim-lit pelagic environments. This unexpected combination of control surface modifications represents a previously unrecognized mode of concealment, and underscores the importance of soft-tissue fossils when inferring aspects of palaeoethology and predator–prey palaeoecology.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09271-w

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09271-w