michaelMay 23, 2025

23-May-2025
Mystery of “very odd” #elasmosaur finally solved: one of North America’s most famous #fossils identified as new species
This primitive 85-million-year-old, 12 meter-long, fiercely predatory marine reptile is unlike any elasmosaur known to-date and hunted its prey from above

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1084540 #science #evolution #paleontology

Mystery of “very odd” elasmosaur finally solved: one of North America’s most famous fossils identified as new species

A group of fossils of elasmosaurs – some of the most famous in North America – have just been formally identified as belonging to a “very odd” new genus of the sea monster, unlike any previously known.

EurekAlert!
Lukas VFN 🇪🇺May 23, 2025

Mystery of very odd #elasmosaur finally solved: One of North America's most famous #fossils IDd as new species https://phys.org/news/2025-05-mystery-odd-elasmosaur-north-america.html

"Long-necked and measuring in at 12m, #Traskasaura sandrae possessed heavy, sharp, robust teeth, ideal for crushing... Its unique suite of adaptations, a strange mix of primitive and derived traits, enabled it to hunt prey from above, perhaps one of the first #plesiosaurs to do so... The 85-million-year-old fossils are not new to science, though, far from it"

Mystery of 'very odd' elasmosaur finally solved: One of North America's most famous fossils identified as new species

A group of fossils of elasmosaurs—some of the most famous in North America—have just been formally identified as belonging to a "very odd" new genus of the sea monster, unlike any previously known.

dougzone 🇨🇦Oct 12, 2023

Dinosaur to be added to BC's list of official emblems!
dougzone22 has the official scoop.
#VictoriaBC
#Elasmosaur
 

http://dougzone22.ca/2023/10/12/dinosaur-set-to-be-new-emblem-of-bc-145/

Dinosaur set to be new emblem of BC (#145)

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada – A large, toothy  reptile that inhabited Vancouver Island 80-million years ago that was unearthed in 1988 could soon be added officially to BC’s provi…

Welcome to dougzone
Show threadMsLizOct 6, 2023

An ancient marine reptile #fossil was excavated, 1980s, from Shag Point rocks, nearly a complete skeleton, an #elasmosaur.

And belongs to a unique group of southern-hemisphere #plesiosaurs called the #Aristonectinae 2/2

New Zealand #NewZealand

More info+pics (pub 03 Jan, 2022):

https://theconversation.com/a-medical-scan-reveals-the-secrets-of-new-zealands-extinct-marine-reptiles-almost-150-years-after-the-fossils-discovery-164484

A medical scan reveals the secrets of New Zealand's extinct marine reptiles, almost 150 years after the fossils' discovery

The latest medical scanning technology revealed details of a plesiosaur’s inner ear, showing the extinct marine reptiles swam with their head slightly lowered – unlike the Loch Ness ‘sock puppet’.

The Conversation
Show threadMichele BannisterDec 29, 2022
If you like the look of these #fossils and want to see what they look like outside the multi-ton rocks, there are many carefully prepared and displayed in Canterbury Museum (and some in Te Papa): #mosasaur, #elasmosaur and also nearby formations' #penguins
RichardDec 12, 2022
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-07/fossil-discovery-queensland-museum-townsville-plesiosaur/101735306 #mosasaur #dinosaur #elasmosaur #plesiosaur
Australia's first complete plesiosaur fossil discovered in outback Queensland

Palaeontologists who visited a remote property to investigate reports of a large fossil have confirmed a discovery dating back 100 million years.

ABC News
Show threadJohn OrcuttDec 8, 2022
Because I can't resist a local-#fossil-makes-good story, I feel compelled to post a follow-up to this #FossilAdventCalendar entry. The #PuntledgeRiver #elasmosaur is so well-preserved that casts of its #skeleton are a star of #museum exhibit halls from the #UniversityOfWashington's #BurkeMuseum to #Ottawa's #CanadianMuseumOfNature. Running across it in #museums is always a pleasant surprise, like unexpectedly meeting an old friend.
John OrcuttDec 8, 2022

#FossilAdventCalendar Day 8

The #PacificNorthwest makes its #AdventCalendar debut today in the form of one of our most impressive #fossils: the #PuntledgeRiver #elasmosaur. #Cretaceous #marine #reptiles are common from the Great Plains, but this specimen is from #VancouverIsland, #BritishColumbia 🇨🇦. Found in 1988 by a 12 year old taking a walk with her dad, the #fossil, housed in the #Courtenay #museum, shows that these long-necked #plesiosaurs inhabited the #ancient #seas of the #PNW as well.

The Dinosaur DaveDec 8, 2022
With the news (link below) of the newly found #Elasmosaur #fossil in #Outback #Queensland I decided to rework on of my #Lego #LegoFossil builds to represent the new find.
And here is the end results.
If you have any notes, let me know.
If you want to build it, then once its finalised I will post the build instructions :D
News Story - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/06/queensland-graziers-unearth-100m-year-old-plesiosaur-remains-likened-to-rosetta-stone
Queensland graziers unearth 100m-year-old plesiosaur remains likened to Rosetta Stone

Amateur fossil hunters find skull connected to body of marine giant elasmosaur for the first time in Australia

The Guardian
Jens NotroffDec 7, 2022

Since law has it that any negative #paleontology news needs to be balanced with some good paleontology news, here's a recently unearthed #elasmosaur (skull + body) from #Australia:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/06/queensland-graziers-unearth-100m-year-old-plesiosaur-remains-likened-to-rosetta-stone by @[email protected] via @[email protected]

Queensland graziers unearth 100m-year-old plesiosaur remains likened to Rosetta Stone

Amateur fossil hunters find skull connected to body of marine giant elasmosaur for the first time in Australia

The Guardian