Scientists from Poland, Germany and the US have examined unusual-looking marine reptile bones from a research site located near the town of Winterswijk in the Netherlands. The research was conducted by an interdisciplinary team led by Dr Dawid Surmik from the University of Silesia and Dr Nicole Klein from the German University of Bonn.

The site near Winterswijk is a real treasure chest of knowledge about Triassic marine animals due to the large number of remains and more complete skeletons. The scientists examined, among other things, the mandible of a notosaur, which shows traces of a healed fracture, indicating that the animal survived and was still able to hunt despite damage to its food-acquisition organ.

“Pathologies occasionally identified in fossil skeletal remains give us an insight into the health of extinct vertebrates and are a valuable source of knowledge about the lives of these animals. However, the identification of pathologies is sometimes not free from overinterpretation”, says Dr Surmik.