Three amateur paleontologists have unearthed the remains of a 100-million-year-old long-necked marine reptile on an outback station in Queensland, marking a significant discovery in Australian paleontology. This groundbreaking find involves the complete skeleton of an ancient plesiosaur, or extinct marine reptile, discovered at a remote property in the McKinlay region. The rare fossil was discovered by station owner Cassandra and fellow amateur fossil hunters Sally and Cynthia, collectively known as the ‘Rock Chicks.’
The discovery has been likened to the Rosetta Stone of marine reptile paleontology due to its potential to unlock new insights into the diversity and evolution of long-necked plesiosaurs in Cretaceous Australia. A team of museum paleontologists, led by Queensland Museum Network Senior Scientist Dr. Espen Knutsen, traveled to the site to recover the fossil of the elasmosaur, a type of plesiosaur that coexisted with dinosaurs in the Eromanga Sea, which once covered large parts of inland Australia between 140 and 100 million years ago.
Dr. Knutsen emphasized the significance of the find, noting that it is the first known instance of a head and body of an Australian elasmosaur being discovered together. This rare combination is expected to be pivotal for future research in this field, offering a comprehensive picture of the diversity and evolutionary history of these marine reptiles.
The elasmosaur was a long-necked marine reptile that surfaced to breathe air and had slender teeth for catching fish, crabs, and mollusks. Fossils of plesiosaurs often show stones (gastroliths) in the stomach area, suggesting they used them either to grind up food or as ballast for diving.
Queensland Museum Network CEO Dr. Jim Thompson highlighted the importance of this discovery for understanding Queensland’s Cretaceous marine life. He mentioned that the museum already holds one of Australia’s most complete plesiosaur specimens, nicknamed ‘Dave the Plesiosaur,’ which was discovered in 1999 but lacked a head, fins, and tail tips.
The recent discovery adds to the museum’s collection, which will facilitate further research into Queensland’s ancient marine ecosystems. Alongside the elasmosaur skeleton, the team also collected remains of other marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, which will be transported to Townsville for preparation and study.
This find is among the most significant discoveries by the ‘Rock Chicks,’ who have diligently searched hundreds of kilometers for fossils. Their efforts have yielded multiple significant finds, including other plesiosaurs, a kronosaurus, an ichthyosaur, and several fish and turtle fossils.
