Dinosaur Brachytrachelopan had a neck 40 percent shorter defying the long neck Jurassic rule

It ate low plants with a stunted reach

Paleontologists say Brachytrachelopan mesai was a sauropod with a neck about 40 percent shorter than its giant relatives, challenging the assumption that long necks were essential. Researchers believe it fed on low-lying plants, carving out a niche others avoided. The find underscores that evolution often takes opportunistic routes, not fixed playbooks.