New Fossil Reptile Species Discovered, Named After A Character from 'Lord of the Rings'

Researchers have recently discovered a hitherto unknown reptile fossil that lived in the Early Triassic. It lived 247-251 million years ago, and they named it Elessaurus gondwanoccidens after Elessar Telcontar, a "Lord of the Rings" character by J.R.R. Tolkien. The study was published last Wednesday in the Plos One journal.

After the mass extinction event that ended the Permian period and started the Triassic, animal evolution recommenced, with some animal groups flourished better than others. These groups included the archosaurs known as the tanystropheids.

During this time, archosauromorphs have relatively been ecologically diverse and abundant, the fossil record shows. The tanystropheids were early archosauromorphs that had fascinated scientists because of the extreme skeletal adaptations they exhibited as a response to over-specialized lifestyles.

This archosaur group included plant-eating reptiles, large predatory species, crocodilian-like armored reptiles, and early dinosaurs. Their heyday was the Triassic period, spreading throughout the global supercontinent Pangaea.

Tanystropheidae's origins and early distribution are elusive. The newly discovered Early Triassic reptile fossil in the current study was determined to be a member of a Tanystropheidae sister-taxon.

The mysterious long-necked tanystropheid group, to which the Tanystropheus belonged, has captivated scientists for a long time. Various tanystropheid fossils have been discovered through the years, dating from Mid to Late Triassic in Europe, North America, and Asia. Their bizarre appearance was in large part due to their long necks that had eight to 13 elongated vertebrae. The spine was also elongated and reached low down to the ground. The tanystropheid fossils have been discovered in marine sediments, which suggested that they lived in water.

The fossil record documenting the earliest occurrence of the tanystropheids is exceptionally scarce. That is why the discovery of the similar-looking reptile fossil from the Early Triassic was a welcome surprise. The fossil was found in the Sanga do Cabral Formation in southern Brazil. The researchers think that it is a cousin of and currently the closest tanystropheid relative discovered so far.

The animal is a new species named Elessaurus gondwanoccidens, after Elessar Telcontar, King Aragon II's chosen name, who was also known by his nicknames Longshanks and Strider. Aragorn is a character in the Lord of the Rings series written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Elessar, in the fictional Elvish language invented by Tolkien, means "elf-stone." The scientists think that the name is apt also because the reptile had notably long legs, which brings to mind Aragorn's nicknames.

The species name comes from the supercontinent Gondwanaland. This supercontinent is in the southern part of Pangaea, which broke off 200 million years ago. Two supercontinents from this break off: the northern part is called Laurasia. 

Gondwanaland includes the landmasses of South America, Africa, South America, Antarctica, the Arabian Peninsula, India, New Zealand, and Australia. The Latin word "occidens" means "west." Thus, the name points to where the reptile lived.

Based on their analysis, the scientists concluded that Elessaurus was likely a land reptile, and based on the fact that it lived further south than its tanystropheid relative may mean that it spread and diversified after the great extinction event which started the Triassic period. The scientists also think that it may be the ancestor of the later tanystropheids that entered the northern continental waters and consequently evolved there.