Ancient Marine Reptile Unearthed With Bizarre Bones and Killer Teeth
Matthew Russell
A prehistoric predator once hidden in the shale and silt of Vancouver Island has finally revealed its name—and its secrets. Scientists have formally identified Traskasaura sandrae, a newly named genus and species of elasmosaur, solving a decades-old mystery about a fossil so peculiar it baffled paleontologists for years.
With an eel-like neck, crushing jaws, and a body built for ambush, Traskasaura lived 85 million years ago in the ancient waters off what is now British Columbia.
It wasn’t a single fossil that gave this reptile its name, but a set of discoveries stretching across more than three decades. The first bones were spotted in 1988 by Michael and Heather Trask along the Puntledge River. That chance find, now recognized as scientifically groundbreaking, would later inspire the species' name—Traskasaura, honoring the family that first unearthed it, and sandrae, commemorating Sandra Lee O'Keefe, a champion of the research who passed away from cancer CBC News reports.
An ocean fossil found in 1988 has finally been named Traskasaura sandrae.
The Anatomy of a Puzzle
From the start, Traskasaura refused to fit neatly into the established elasmosaur family tree. Its fossils showed a baffling mix of primitive and advanced features, as detailed in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology. While the neck bones resembled older, long-necked plesiosaurs with at least 36 preserved cervical vertebrae, the shoulder and limb structures bore surprising similarities to more specialized species from the Southern Hemisphere known for filter-feeding.
What stood out most was the shoulder—a structure so unusual it hadn’t been documented in any other known plesiosaur. Paleontologist F. Robin O’Keefe and his international team concluded that these traits weren’t inherited from a direct ancestor but evolved independently, the result of a phenomenon known as convergent evolution. Their analysis placed Traskasaura in a basal position within the elasmosaur family, meaning it split off early but evolved in ways that paralleled more derived cousins Phys.org explains.
The creature likely hunted by diving from above onto its prey.
Built to Strike From Above
Unlike most known elasmosaurs, which were assumed to chase down prey, Traskasaura may have been an ambush predator. Its teeth, sharp and robust, were perfectly suited for crushing hard-shelled ammonites—abundant in its ancient Pacific habitat. Anatomical clues suggest it swam downward with precision, diving from above onto unsuspecting prey. This tactic marks a significant departure from the horizontal pursuit most marine reptiles were thought to favor, Popular Science reports.
The creature measured about 12 meters, or nearly 40 feet, from head to tail. While its long neck has always drawn attention, it was the hunting strategy encoded in its bones that rewrote assumptions about how elasmosaurs survived in diverse environments, Sci.News reports. The fossil’s peculiar shoulder and limb designs may have enabled it to glide through the water in ways previously unimagined for its kind.
The discovery of Traskasaura sandrae provides new insight into Cretaceous marine ecosystems.
A Regional Symbol, a Global Insight
In 2023, long before its scientific name was finalized, the fossils of this creature were voted the official Provincial Fossil of British Columbia. It was a public celebration of a strange and beautiful mystery, housed at the Courtenay and District Museum. That distinction came after years of outreach by local enthusiasts and researchers determined to see the fossil formally recognized Indian Defence Review reports.
Now, with its identity clarified, Traskasaura sandrae stands as both a scientific breakthrough and a cultural legacy. The fossil record, like the rocks that held these bones for millions of years, continues to surprise—and this discovery proves that even the most "odd" among us can redefine history.