▁for ▁surv ival . ▁It ▁has ▁also ▁been ▁proposed ▁that ▁the ▁long ▁ne cks ▁would ▁have ▁co o led ▁the ▁ve ins ▁and ▁ar ter ies ▁going ▁to ▁the ▁brain , ▁avoid ing ▁excess ively ▁he ated ▁blood ▁from ▁reaching ▁the ▁head . ▁It ▁was ▁in ▁fact ▁found ▁that ▁the ▁increase ▁in ▁met abol ic ▁rate ▁resulting ▁from ▁the ▁sau rop ods ’ ▁ne cks ▁was ▁slightly ▁more ▁than ▁compens ated ▁for ▁by ▁the ▁extra ▁surface ▁area ▁from ▁which ▁heat ▁could ▁diss ip ate . ▁ ▁Pala e obi ology ▁ ▁E col ogy ▁ ▁When ▁sau rop ods ▁were ▁first ▁discovered , ▁their ▁immense ▁size ▁led ▁many ▁scient ists ▁to ▁compare ▁them ▁with ▁modern - day ▁wh ales . ▁Most ▁studies ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁and ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁centuries ▁concluded ▁that ▁sau rop ods ▁were ▁too ▁large ▁to ▁have ▁supported ▁their ▁weight ▁on ▁land , ▁and ▁therefore ▁that ▁they ▁must ▁have ▁been ▁mainly ▁aqu atic . ▁Most ▁life ▁rest or ations ▁of ▁sau rop ods ▁in ▁art ▁through ▁the ▁first ▁three ▁qu arters ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁dep icted ▁them ▁fully ▁or ▁partially ▁imm ers ed ▁in ▁water . ▁This ▁early ▁notion ▁was ▁cast ▁in ▁doubt ▁beginning ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s , ▁when ▁a ▁study ▁by ▁K erm ack ▁( 1 9 5 1 ) ▁demonstrated ▁that , ▁if ▁the ▁animal ▁were ▁sub mer ged ▁in ▁several ▁metres ▁of ▁water , ▁the ▁pressure ▁would ▁be ▁enough ▁to ▁fat ally ▁collapse