New evidence suggests spinosaurus spent most of its life underwater
Researchers from Yale University used machine learning and fossil analysis to study how ancient animals transitioned from land to water. The study highlights how different species evolved similar aquatic adaptations, such as flippers, through convergent evolution.
Why it matters
Understanding evolutionary reversals helps scientists better comprehend how species adapt to changing environments and the biological constraints of evolution.
For millions of years, evolution helped animals make the transition from life in the ocean to life on land. But the journey did not always move in one direction. Many species eventually returned to the water, developing new adaptations that allowed them to thrive in aquatic environments.
Dozens of major groups of mammals and reptiles made this remarkable evolutionary reversal. Now, a new study from Yale University is shedding light on when and how these transitions occurred, as well as which ancient animals became fully aquatic and which continued to depend on land.
The findings were published in the journal Current Biology .
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