‘Terrible-Headed Lizard’ Fossil Found

A newly discovered fossil may be the remains of one of the first stealth hunters, a swimming reptile that could use its long neck to sneak up on prey and strike without warning.

A resident of a shallow sea about 230 million years ago in what is now southeast China, the reptile hunted in murky waters. Its neck extended 5 1/2 feet, allowing its small head to sneak up on prey before its bulky body came into view. The creature, described in the current issue of the journal Science, has been named Dinocephalosaurus orientalis, meaning terrible-headed lizard from the Orient.