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.
"What is earth-shattering is that plesiosaurs are doing it differently than other reptiles," O'Keefe said. "Instead of having lots of little babies, they're having one big baby a single, very large fetus."
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Use the passage from the "Pregnant Plesiosaur Fossil May Shed Light on Ancient Animal's Behavior" article to answer the question.
Which statement provides an explanation about the impact of specific word choices on the overall tone of the text?
(1 point)
The author draws a comparison to contemporary mammals ☐ using words with a positive connotation to establish a friendly tone in the text.
The author quotes reputable sources unfamiliar with paleontology using denotation to establish a curious tone in the text.
The author quotes reputable sources familiar with the subject using denotation to establish a formal tone in the text.
The author draws a comparison between the plesiosaur to other reptiles of the time using words with a negative connotation to establish an informal tone in the text.
1 answer
The statement that best provides an explanation about the impact of specific word choices on the overall tone of the text is:
The author quotes reputable sources familiar with the subject using denotation to establish a formal tone in the text.
This is because the text includes technical language related to paleontology and quotes from credible experts, contributing to a formal and informative tone.
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1 answer