First elasmosaur fossil head and body found in Australia

A fossil hunting trio has discovered a rare specimen* of a 100-million-year-old long-necked marine reptile in Queensland.

The female fossil hunters, who call themselves the Rock Chicks, found the first head and body of an elasmosaur* ever to be uncovered in Australia.

The Rock Chicks – western Queensland station owner Cassandra and friends Sally and Cynthia – then called in palaeontologists* from the Queensland Museum Network to collect the fossil.

Senior scientist and curator* of palaeontology* Dr Espen Knutsen, who led the field trip, said finding the first known head and body of an Australian elasmosaur, which is a plesiosaur* that coexisted with dinosaurs, could unlock new information about the species.

“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,” Dr Knutsen said.

“We have never found a body and a head together and this could hold the key to future research in this field.

“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, so we are using CT scanning to give us an insight into these magnificent animals.”

During the early Cretaceous period, 145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago, much of Queensland was covered in a vast, shallow sea, known as the Eromanga Sea.

Fossil remains of the sea’s inhabitants, including marine reptiles like plesiosaurs, are commonly found across the state.

Queensland Museum Network already holds one of Australia’s most complete plesiosaur specimens, nicknamed Dave the Plesiosaur, which was discovered in 1999. But despite 80 per cent of Dave’s bones being found, the specimen’s head, fins and tail tips are missing.

This new fossil find, which is now at the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville, happened during one of the Rock Chicks’ annual fossil hunts.

Over the years, the Rock Chicks have walked hundreds of kilometres and uncovered an array of fossils including plesiosaurs, a kronosaurus, ichthyosaur and several fish and turtles.

PLESIOSAUR FACTS

• Plesiosaurs, like turtles, are a type of marine reptile. They were not dinosaurs but lived at the same time.
• There are well over a hundred known species of plesiosaurs from across the world. Some had long necks and small heads, some had short necks with giant heads, and everything in between.
• Like whales, plesiosaurs evolved from land-living ancestors and therefore did not have gills and had to surface occasionally for air. It is not known how long they were able to stay underwater.
• Elasmosaur plesiosaurs were distinguished* by their long, narrow necks, wide flippers, small heads and streamlined torsos*.
• Most elasmosaurs had slender teeth for catching fish, but not for chewing or crushing. Some plesiosaur fossils have stones preserved in the stomach area, showing they swallowed stones (called gastroliths) to either grind up food in their stomachs or as ballast* to aid in diving.
• Only one species of elasmosaur is currently recognised in Australia, Eromangasaurus australis. However, only a head without a body exists of this of this animal.
• Dave the Plesiosaur, part of the Queensland Museum Network’s Collection, was discovered near Cape York Peninsula in 1999. It was at the time of its discovery one of the most complete plesiosaur skeletons found in Australia, with 80 per cent recovered – except its head, fins and tail tip.

GLOSSARY

• specimen: a sample used for scientific study or display
• elasmosaur: a long-necked extinct marine reptile; a type of plesiosaur
• palaeontologists: scientists who study fossils to learn about the history of life on Earth
• curator: person who oversees or manages a museum, art collection or exhibition
• palaeontology: the study of fossils
• plesiosaur: a group of marine reptiles
• Rosetta stone: a piece of ancient stone containing a carved message that helped modern people learn how to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs after it was found in 1799
• diversity: having many different types
• evolution: the gradual development of living things
• distinguished: recognised as different
• torsos: bodies, apart from head, neck and limbs
• ballast: heavy material that provides stability

EXTRA READING

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River ‘monster’ to topple T-rex as top dinosaur

Case of mistaken dino identity

QUICK QUIZ

1. What is the name of the female fossil hunting trio?
2. What is special about this elasmosaur fossil?
3. What did much of Queensland look like during the early Cretaceous period?
4. What is the nickname of one of Australia’s most compete plesiosaur specimens?
5. Where in Australia was this plesiosaur fossil found?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Name that beast!
Decide on a great name for the elasmosaur. Use information in the story to inspire you – your name should be something that will help people get interested in and excited about this discovery. Write sentences explaining your choice.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science

2. Extension
Write five questions about palaeontology that you would like to ask Dr Knutsen. Use your research skills to write what you think his answers to your questions would be.

Time: allow 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were the fourth member of the Rock Chicks fossil hunting group when the elasmosaur was found.

Create a conversation between you and the other three members of the group. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.