Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

CFD modelling of the thermo- and hydro-dynamic capabilities of long-necked plesiosaurs (reptilia, sauropterygia)

Marx, Miguel LU orcid ; Szász, Robert-Zoltán LU and Lindgren, Johan LU (2025) p.238-245
Abstract
Plesiosaurs are secondarily aquatic reptiles with a fossil record that extends for over 140 million years, and their remains have been found in localities representing both warm, equatorial waters and cold, high-latitude environments. They are usually portrayed as a snake threaded through the body of a sea turtle. However, due to a general absence of preserved soft tissues, reconstructing the life appearance of articularly long-necked forms is anything but a straightforward task. Moreover, animals with such an oddly-shaped body are unlikely to survive in coldwater environments. To investigate the ability of these ancient marine reptiles to inhabit high-latitude waters, we examined the heat transfer in two virtually reconstructed... (More)
Plesiosaurs are secondarily aquatic reptiles with a fossil record that extends for over 140 million years, and their remains have been found in localities representing both warm, equatorial waters and cold, high-latitude environments. They are usually portrayed as a snake threaded through the body of a sea turtle. However, due to a general absence of preserved soft tissues, reconstructing the life appearance of articularly long-necked forms is anything but a straightforward task. Moreover, animals with such an oddly-shaped body are unlikely to survive in coldwater environments. To investigate the ability of these ancient marine reptiles to inhabit high-latitude waters, we examined the heat transfer in two virtually reconstructed plesiosaurs: one built according to conventional wisdom (i.e., with a long and narrow neck) and one equipped with a peripheral layer of insulating blubber. We compared several modelling approaches (gradually increasing the complexity of our approach) to assess their pros and cons. We also investigated the temperature distribution within the two body types and tested their hydrodynamic performance by simulating a cruising plesiosaur at a steady velocity. The results of our endeavours show that an insulating blubber layer must have been present to assure a suitable temperature distribution within the plesiosaur body when it inhabited cold water regions.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Proceedings of the Conference on Modelling Fluid Flow : CMFF’25 - CMFF’25
editor
Vad, J.
article number
CMFF25-037
pages
8 pages
publisher
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
ISBN
978-615-112-002-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
95d18c59-3bf7-43d7-a5bf-cb77fdd6354d
date added to LUP
2025-09-16 14:27:22
date last changed
2025-09-30 15:50:58
@inproceedings{95d18c59-3bf7-43d7-a5bf-cb77fdd6354d,
  abstract     = {{Plesiosaurs are secondarily aquatic reptiles with a fossil record that extends for over 140 million years, and their remains have been found in localities representing both warm, equatorial waters and cold, high-latitude environments. They are usually portrayed as a snake threaded through the body of a sea turtle. However, due to a general absence of preserved soft tissues, reconstructing the life appearance of  articularly long-necked forms is anything but a straightforward task. Moreover,   animals with such an oddly-shaped body are unlikely to survive in coldwater environments. To investigate the ability of these ancient marine reptiles to inhabit high-latitude waters, we examined the heat transfer in two virtually reconstructed plesiosaurs: one built according to conventional wisdom (i.e., with a long and narrow neck) and one equipped with a peripheral layer of insulating blubber. We compared several modelling approaches (gradually increasing the complexity of our approach) to assess their pros and cons. We also investigated the temperature distribution within the two body types and tested their hydrodynamic performance by simulating a cruising plesiosaur at a steady velocity. The results of our endeavours show that an insulating blubber layer must have been present to assure a suitable temperature distribution within the plesiosaur body when it inhabited cold water regions.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Marx, Miguel and Szász, Robert-Zoltán and Lindgren, Johan}},
  booktitle    = {{Proceedings of the Conference on Modelling Fluid Flow : CMFF’25}},
  editor       = {{Vad, J.}},
  isbn         = {{978-615-112-002-6}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{238--245}},
  publisher    = {{Budapest University of Technology and Economics}},
  title        = {{CFD modelling of the thermo- and hydro-dynamic capabilities of long-necked plesiosaurs (reptilia, sauropterygia)}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/228729658/Marx_-M._Szasz_-R.-S._Lindgren_-J._2025_On-Reptilia_-Sauropterygia.pdf}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}