The skeleton of a giant marine reptile, dating back 100 million years, has been discovered in Australia, offering researchers a valuable opportunity to explore prehistoric life. The remains of a young long-necked elasmosaurs, also known as an elasmosaurs, were found by amateur fossil hunters on a cattle station in Queensland last August. This species, which grew to lengths of 8 to 10 meters, inhabited the Eromanga Sea, a vast body of water that covered large areas of inland Australia around 150 million years ago.
Espen Knutsen, senior curator of paleontology at the Queensland Museum, has compared this find to the Rosetta Stone in its potential to unlock new insights. He noted that this is the first time both the body and head of an elasmosaurs have been found together, which could be pivotal for understanding the creature’s origin, evolution, and ecology. The long necks of these reptiles often led to the separation of the head from the body after death, making such intact fossils extremely rare. Knutsen explained that decomposing bodies would float to the surface, and the head was frequently lost to predators, complicating the recovery of complete specimens.
