US EditionScientists ID New Prehistoric Sea Creature: Nearly 40 Feet Long with 'Crushing' Teeth
- Scientists identified a new prehistoric marine reptile, Traskasaura sandrae, from fossils found on Vancouver Island in 1988 dating about 85 million years ago.
- Researchers analyzed several fossils collected over two decades, which showed unique features distinguishing it from other plesiosaurs and confirming a new genus within elasmosaurs.
- Traskasaura sandrae measured around 39 feet long, had a long neck with about 50 vertebrae, and robust teeth adapted for crushing prey like ammonite shells in Cretaceous oceans.
- Leading the study published on May 22, F. Robin O’Keefe highlighted that the shoulder region of the specimen exhibited an unusual combination of features not observed in other plesiosaurs, and noted that its strong teeth were well-suited for crushing ammonite shells.
- This discovery clarifies prior fossil uncertainties and suggests Traskasaura had a unique hunting strategy, possibly diving downward to catch prey, highlighting convergent evolution among marine reptiles.
14 Articles
14 Articles
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Marshall University researchers ID new prehistoric sea creature: Nearly 40 feet long with 'crushing' teeth
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WOWK) – Researchers from Marshall University in West Virginia have helped make a breakthrough in the world of paleontology. While working with an international investigative team from Chile and Canada, the researchers identified a group of fossils found near British Columbia's Vancouver Island that belong to a new genus of a type of sea creature called plesiosaurs. The genus is a biological classification that is a slightly br…
West Virginia scientists ID new prehistoric sea creature: Nearly 40 feet long with 'crushing' teeth
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WOWK) – Researchers from Marshall University in West Virginia have helped make a breakthrough in the world of paleontology. While working with an international investigative team from Chile and Canada, the researchers identified a group of fossils found near British Columbia's Vancouver Island that belong to a new genus of a type of sea creature called plesiosaurs. The genus is a biological classification that is a slightly br…
Scientists ID new prehistoric sea creature: Nearly 40 feet long with 'crushing' teeth
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WOWK) – Researchers from Marshall University in West Virginia have helped make a breakthrough in the world of paleontology. While working with an international investigative team from Chile and Canada, the researchers identified a group of fossils found near British Columbia's Vancouver Island that belong to a new genus of a type of sea creature called plesiosaurs. The genus is a biological classification that is a slightly br…
Newly discovered prehistoric sea creature identified by Marshall University researchers
HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) - Researchers from Marshall University have helped make a breakthrough in the world of paleontology. While working with an international investigative team from Chile and Canada, the researchers identified a group of fossils that belong to a new genus of a type of sea creature called plesiosaurs. The genus is a biological classification that is a slightly broader category of creatures than a species. Marshall says the new g…
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