"Pregnant Fossil May Shed Light on Animal Behavior"

Question

by PBS NewsHour

Scientists have pieced together the first-ever fossil of a pregnant plesiosaur, a giant Mesozoic sea reptile from the Cretaceous Era, with an embryo still inside.

The animal, which roamed the seas 78-million years ago, is about 15-feet long—the length of a minibus—and bones indicate that the baby plesiosaur would have been as long as six feet when born.

The finding, published in the online edition of the journal Science on Thursday, is definitive evidence that the giant sea creature gave birth to single, live offspring, rather than laying eggs, like most reptiles, says paleontologist and lead author F. Robin O’Keefe. This reproductive behavior also indicates that the animals were gregarious social creatures that cared for their young, similar to toothed whales or dolphins, according to the paper.

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Question
Use the passage “Pregnant Plesiosaur Fossil May Shed Light on Ancient Animal’s Behavior” to answer the question.

Write 4–5 sentences in which you explain what you would include and not include in an objective summary of “Pregnant Plesiosaur Fossil May Shed Light on Ancient Animal’s Behavior.”

(4 points)

Answer 1

In an objective summary of “Pregnant Plesiosaur Fossil May Shed Light on Ancient Animal’s Behavior,” I would include key details such as the discovery of the fossilized pregnant plesiosaur, its size, and the significance of finding an embryo inside, which provides definitive evidence of live births rather than egg-laying. Additionally, I would highlight the implications of this finding for understanding the reproductive behavior and social structures of plesiosaurs, comparing them to modern marine mammals.

However, I would not include any subjective interpretations or emotions tied to the discovery, such as excitement or the potential implications for future research, as they do not add to the objective nature of the summary. Additionally, I would avoid detailed descriptions of the Cretaceous Era beyond what establishes the plesiosaur's historical context.