Paleontologists have identified Traskasaura sandrae, a new genus and species of ancient marine predator that once prowled the seas during the Late Cretaceous period. The discovery, published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, describes a "very strange" elasmosaur with a unique mix of primitive and derived traits not seen in any other known elasmosaur.
The fossils of Traskasaura sandrae were first discovered in 1988 along the banks of the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island, Canada, by Michael and Heather Trask. In honor of their contribution, the new genus name combines their surname with the Greek word sauros, meaning lizard. The species name sandrae honors Sandra Lee O'Keefe, as noted by the study authors: "a valiant warrior in the fight against breast cancer. In loving memory."
Despite the initial discovery, scientists were unable to accurately classify the fossils for over three decades due to their unique characteristics. A new "excellently preserved" partial skeleton enabled an international team of scientists from Canada, Chile, and the United States to shed new light on the morphology of the Puntledge River elasmosaur and eventually identify it as a new genus and species.
"The fossil record is full of surprises. It is always rewarding to discover something unexpected," said Professor F. Robin O'Keefe from Marshall University, the lead author of the study, according to Phys.org. "When I saw the fossils for the first time and realized they represented a new taxon, I thought they might be related to other plesiosaurs from Antarctica, but my Chilean colleague, Rodrigo Otero, thought differently, and he was right: Traskasaura is a strange beast of convergent and fascinating evolution."
Traskasaura sandrae was a formidable predator, reaching lengths of up to 12 meters. It possessed heavy, sharp, robust teeth, ideal for crushing, which likely allowed it to prey on abundant ammonites in the region. These extinct marine creatures, a mix between mollusks and squids, would have stood little chance against its crushing bite.
One of the striking features of Traskasaura sandrae was its long neck, consisting of at least 50 cervical vertebrae. The well-preserved cervical vertebrae suggest a total neck bone count that could exceed 50 units. The adaptation, along with a shoulder structure featuring a downward-opening design unlike any plesiosaur seen until now, may have enabled it to dive downward and attack prey from above—a rare hunting strategy among plesiosaurs.
"The unique suite of adaptations of Traskasaura sandrae enabled this plesiosaur to hunt prey from above, suggesting it was perhaps one of the first plesiosaur taxa to do so," stated the research team. Not much is known about its behavior, but the "fascinating and long list of autapomorphic characters" of the bones indicate strong capabilities for downward swimming.
Since the initial discovery, paleontologists have uncovered fossilized remains of three Traskasaura sandrae specimens, including a well-preserved juvenile skeleton, a solitary humerus, and neck vertebrae. The team concluded that all three individuals show diagnostic features of the new taxon and therefore probably represent a single species.
The designation of Traskasaura sandrae as the official fossil emblem of British Columbia followed a five-year appreciation effort and a province-wide public poll in 2018, where it received 48% of the vote. With its naming, the Pacific Northwest finally has a Mesozoic marine reptile to call its own. "Fittingly, a region known for its rich marine life today was host to strange and wonderful marine reptiles in the Age of Dinosaurs," notes Phys.org.
The fossils are now on public display at the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre, allowing visitors to admire the discovery. The research offers an opportunity to better understand marine biodiversity during the Cretaceous period and the ecological dynamics of that time.
O'Keefe emphasized the importance of the find: "The combination of primitive and derived traits is truly singular. The shoulder structure, in particular, is unique and does not resemble any other plesiosaur I have ever examined." These observations have led to a reevaluation of the evolutionary relationships among plesiosaurs and have stimulated further research in paleontology.
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.