Home News Plesiosaur fossil discovery ‘the Rosetta Stone of marine palaeontology’

Plesiosaur fossil discovery ‘the Rosetta Stone of marine palaeontology’

Palaeontologists lie next to the fossil during excavation. Image credit: courtesy Queensland Museum

The elasmosaur, a genus of plesiosaur, was a giant long-necked marine reptile that co-existed with dinosaurs.

“We have never found a body and a head together,” says Dr Espen Knutsen, a Queensland Museum Network Senior Scientist who led the field trip to excavate the fossil.

“Because these plesiosaurs were two-thirds neck, often the head would be separated from the body after death, which makes it very hard to find a fossil preserving both together.

“This could hold the key to future research in this field… so we are using CT scanning to give us an insight into these magnificent animals.”

The team of museum palaeontologists travelled to the site after the rare fossil was discovered by station owner Cassandra, and her two friends, Sally and Cynthia, who together form a fossil hunting trio called the Rock Chicks.

“We were extremely excited when we saw this fossil – it is like the Rosetta Stone of marine palaeontology as it may hold the key to unravelling the diversity and evolution of long-necked plesiosaurs in Cretaceous Australia,” says Dr Knutsen.

The fossil is now located at the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville.

Dr Espen Knutsen’s research into Cretaceous marine reptiles of Queensland is supported by Project DIG, a partnership between Queensland Museum Network, BHP and BMA to unlock knowledge held in the collection for people across the world.

Related: Prehistoric marine creatures: monsters of the deep

Read Next

Near-complete 50,000 year-old kangaroo skeleton retrieved from underground cave

The fossil, hidden underground since the Ice age, has been brought to the surface in a precarious and meticulous mission executed by a team of intrepid scientists.

How to see the Eta Aquariid meteor shower from Australia

Meteors – commonly known as shooting stars – can be seen on any night of the year. But some nights are better than others.

What is symbiosis? And what makes a relationship symbiotic?

Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate relationship of different species living together. It’s much more common and older than many of us might realise.