Dinosaurs-like creatures may have injured themselves during
leisurely deep-sea diving trips and not from resurfacing too
quickly, as previously thought. A recent study identified bone
deformities on the fossilized remains of Ichthyosarians, which
were giant dolphin-like reptiles that first appeared about 245
million years ago. The lesions were similar to those human
divers develop as a result of changes in body pressure, and
suggest the reptiles suffered from a version of 'the bends'. A
new analysis by University of Melbourne pathologist Associate
Professor John Hayman — published in the latest edition of the
Naturwissenschaften: Science of Nature journal — sought to
explain what may have caused the bone lesions. That research
argues the scarring may be the result of deep diving and
spending too long at depth, causing excess nitrogen to be
dissolved in the body, and not from quick ascents as previously
thought. "Ichthyosarians probably evolved the ability to dive
deeper and to remain at depth for longer perio