• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe To DinoPit Weekly
  • Contact DinoPit
  • Shop
    • Jurassic Cart

DinoPit

Dinosaurs Online

  • Dinosaur Profiles
  • Science
    • Paleontology
    • Dinosaur Books
    • Dinosaur Exhibits
  • Fun Dino Things
    • DinoCrafts
    • Dinosaur in Entertainment
    • Dinosaur Jokes
    • Gifts for Dinosaur Lovers
    • PaleoArt
  • Latest News
  • The DinoPit Podcast
You are here: Home / Latest News / The Dinosaur Bends

The Dinosaur Bends

Marine Reptiles Show Signs of the “Dinosaur” Bends

Dinosaur Bends
Image Courtesy of Flickr User ShapeShift

Marine reptiles and similar creatures might have sustained injuries from diving to great depths or swimming at great depths for too long. A study was completed on fossilized Ichthyosarians that brought attention to bone deformities that are consistent with bone deformities of humans suffering from decompression sickness, or “the bends”. The lesions were typical of those seen in humans who undergo changes in body pressure, which can cause the bends or a state of nitrogen narcosis. Nitrogen narcosis affects consciousness in a manner similar to alcohol intoxication. Links have been made between human “bends” and these Ichthyosarian bone deformities because human neck bones and the bones of prehistoric reptiles are very similar.

How the “Dinosaur” Bends Came About

An analysis by Associate Professor John Hayman of the University of Melbourne was published in Naturwissenschaften: Science of Nature. In his analysis, Associate Professor Hayman gives his thoughts on the cause of the deformities. His conclusions argue that the scarring may have been a result of deep diving and staying at great depths for too long, which can cause nitrogen to accumulate in the tissues of the body. As the Ichthyosarians ascended to the surface, nitrogen was released into the bloodstream in the form of bubbles because the body cannot hold the excess nitrogen at normal pressures. The nitrogen bubbles can expand and injure tissue, trigger clots, or block blood vessels in major organs. It was previously thought that quick ascents caused the lesions. Quick ascents still could have played a role though since the bends are affected by three things: the depth of dives, the duration of deep dives, and the speed of ascent. A long, deep dive requires a very slow ascent in order for nitrogen levels to naturally return to normal.

Were the “Dinosaur” Bends Worth it for Ithyosaurs?

Ichthyosarians may have realized some benefits to diving deeper for longer periods of time. Some potential benefits are an increased feeding range, more opportunities for thermoregulation, and a larger habitation zone. Whatever the benefits, they must have outweighed the maladies associated with decompression sickness. In humans this can cause joint pains, swollen or painful lymph nodes, itching and rashes, and pain in the torso, head, and neck area. It is also possible that the bends seen in Ichthyosarians were a result of hasty ascents to their oxygen supply. They may have swam deeper in search of food, then returned to the surface when oxygen supplies were depleted. Aquatic reptiles are more susceptible to the bends because their low oxygen consumption rate allows them to stay submerged for longer periods of time than mammals or birds.

How Did the Dinosaur Bends Affect Ichthyosaurs?

Associate Professor Hayman that the bends would not have affected the Ichthyosarians’ long-term survival, although detrimental conditions may have appeared late in their life spans. Decompression sickness is usually accompanied by fairly mild symptoms in humans and there is no reason to believe that Ichthyosarians would have suffered to a greater degree. The most common symptoms are joint pain and fatigue. These reptiles would still have been able to hunt for prey and reproduce—the two main goals of every creature in the animal kingdom despite suffering from the “dinosaur” bends.

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Dinosaur News

Learn More About Dinosaurs

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Was Tyrannosaurus Rex a Hunter or Scavenger?

People Want to Know: Was Tyrannosaurus Rex a Hunter or Scavenger? One of the questions most commonly asked about one of the world’s most beloved dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex, is whether or not it was a hunter or scavenger. While there are a number of different viewpoints on the issue, the general consensus when answering the […]

More Science Posts

Fun With Dinos

T-Rex Skull Replica from The Evolution Store

The Evolution Store

The Evolution Store Has A Great Dinosaur Collection Once in a while…okay, quite a lot of the time I find myself searching for new and awesome dinosaur finds. The other day I happened to run in to The Evolution Store after they fanned me on Facebook. The rest of the afternoon from that point on […]

More Dinosaur Fun

Primary Sidebar

Latest Podcast Episode

Dromaeosaurs (Or What Jurassic Park Got Wrong, and Right, About Raptors)

https://media.transistor.fm/702f9565.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:20 — 11.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Dromaeosaurs, from Microraptor to Utahraptor, are amongst the most iconic and fascinating families of dinosaurs. Bolstered by both Jurassic Park and endless scientific studies linking them directly to birds, it’s almost impossible to not love them.

Resources:

  • Quill knobs in bones
  • Utahraptor death trap
  • The Climbing Claw

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

T-Shirts: Dino-Style

  • Young Tyrannosaur Sticker $3.00 – $5.00
  • It's Raining Pachies $60.00

Topics

Carnivorous Dinosaurs Ceratopsia Ceratopsidae Chasmosaurinae Cretaceous Period Dinosaurs Dinosaur Art Dinosaur Cakes Dinosaur Clothing Dinosaur Craft Ideas Dinosaur Crafts Dinosaur Cupcakes Dinosaur Exhibits Dinosaur Extinction Dinosaur Facts Dinosaur Games Dinosaur Gifts Dinosaur Movies Dinosaur News Dinosaur Research Dinosaur T-Shirt Dinosaur Toys Dinosaur TV Dinosaur Videos Diplodocidae Dromaeosauridae Eudromaeosauria Feathered Dinosaurs Hadrosauridae Herbivorous Dinosaurs Jurassic Period Dinosaurs Make a Dinosaur Monday Omnivorous Dinosaurs Ornithischia Ornithopoda Saurischia Saurolophinae Sauropoda Sauropodomorpha Seismosaurus Theropoda Triassic Period Dinosaurs Triceratops Troodon Tyrannosaurus Rex Velociraptor

Footer

Dinosaurs Everywhere!

  • Dinosaur Profile
  • Dinosaurs
  • Fun Dino Things
    • DinoCrafts
    • Dinosaur in Entertainment
    • Dinosaur Jokes
    • Gifts for Dinosaur Lovers
    • PaleoArt
  • Latest News
  • Podcast
  • Science
    • Dinosaur Books
    • Dinosaur Exhibits
    • Paleontology

Main Categories

  • Dinosaur Profiles
  • Science
    • Paleontology
    • Dinosaur Books
    • Dinosaur Exhibits
  • Fun Dino Things
    • DinoCrafts
    • Dinosaur in Entertainment
    • Dinosaur Jokes
    • Gifts for Dinosaur Lovers
    • PaleoArt
  • Latest News
  • The DinoPit Podcast

Recent Posts

  • Pryroraptor
  • A Toothsome Spinosaurus Bed Keeps The Charismatic Theropod Plunged In The River
  • Danger Ahead For Original Jurassic Park Trio
  • Sweet Dino Skull T-Shirts Based On Real Diagrams
  • Dromaeosaurs (Or What Jurassic Park Got Wrong, and Right, About Raptors)

Dinopit.Com

  • Contact Dinopit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Copyright © 2021 · Scott Kraus · Log in