Newly identified prehistoric creature found in Canada seen as a 'fascinating beast'
An artist's rendering of the newly named Traskasuara sandrae shows the marine reptile's ability to target prey from above. Image by Robert O. Clark
May 22 (UPI) -- A group of Canadian fossils is identified as a new genus of the elasmosaurus "sea monster" that existed tens of millions of years ago, a newly published study announced.
The newly identified genus officially is named the "Traskasuara sandrae," according to the study published today in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.
Elasmosaurs were large sea creatures with extremely long necks and viper-like heads with large jaws and very sharp and long teeth for capturing, crushing and consuming prey.
The Traskasaura combined several "primitive and derived traits" that differ from the elasmosaurs that existed some 85 million years ago.
Both are types of plesiosaurs, which were marine reptiles that existed during the late Triassic Period from about 215 million years ago to the Late Cretaceous Period about 66 million years ago.
Unknown type of plesiosaur
"Plesiosaur fossils have been known for decades in British Columbia," lead author F. Robin O'Keefe said.
"However, the identity of the animal that left the fossils has remained a mystery, even as it was declared [British Columbia's] provincial fossil in 2023."
O'Keefe said the research study published today solves the mystery of the fossils' origins.
"The scientific confusion concerning this taxon is understandable," O'Keefe said. "The shoulder ... is unlike any other plesiosaur I have ever seen."
The Pacific Northwest "finally has a Mesozoic reptile to call its own," said O'Keefe, who is an expert on prehistoric marine animals dating back to the age of dinosaurs and an educator at Marshall University in West Virginia.
Strange and fascinating beast
"Fittingly, a region known for its rich marine life today was host to strange and wonderful marine reptiles in the Age of Dinosaurs," he added. "Traskasaura is a strange, convergently evolved, fascinating beast."
The Traskasaura's unique combination of physical adaptations made it an especially effective hunter from above and one of the first plesiosaurs to do so.
Their necks grew to nearly 40 feet in length while their bodies resembled that of a small whale with forward flippers that propelled them through water.
The marine reptile's bone structure suggests it was especially adept and downward swimming to dive onto its prey from above, while its teeth were well-suited for devouring ammonites by crushing their shells, O'Keefe said.
First fossil was discovered in 1988
The first Traskasaura fossil was located along the Puntledge River in Canada's Vancouver Island in 1988 and dates to the Late Cretaceous Period.
Other fossils since have been discovered, and three from theHaslam Formation on Vancouver Island are discussed in the article published in the latest edition of the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.
The fossils first were discussed in 2002 and in recent years rose in global prominence after officials in British Columbia made it the province's official fossil emblem.
The Traskasaura fossils are on display at The Courtenay and District Museum and Paleontology Centre in Courtenay, B.C.
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