{"id":146231,"date":"2025-06-05T08:02:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T08:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-sea-monster-with-a-long-neck-unveils-an-unprecedented-hunting-strategy-in-plesiosaurs\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T08:02:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T08:02:17","slug":"a-sea-monster-with-a-long-neck-unveils-an-unprecedented-hunting-strategy-in-plesiosaurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/a-sea-monster-with-a-long-neck-unveils-an-unprecedented-hunting-strategy-in-plesiosaurs\/","title":{"rendered":"A “sea monster” with a long neck unveils an unprecedented hunting strategy in plesiosaurs!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A \u00a0major paleoanthropological discovery\u00a0 is reshaping our understanding of ancient \u00a0marine reptiles\u00a0. Researchers have recently identified a new species of \u00a0plesiosaur\u00a0, named *Traskasaura sandrae*, a creature as bizarre as it is formidable, which lived around \u00a085 million years ago\u00a0, during the late \u00a0Cretaceous period\u00a0.<\/p>\n

This “marine monster” measured nearly \u00a012 meters\u00a0 in length, boasted an \u00a0endless neck\u00a0, and possessed powerful dentition capable of crushing the shells of \u00a0ammonites\u00a0, its likely prey. However, what intrigues scientists most is its \u00a0unprecedented hunting style\u00a0 and anatomical features never before seen in other members of its family.<\/p>\n

A Plesiosaur Like No Other<\/h2>\n

*Traskasaura* belongs to the group of \u00a0elasmosaurs\u00a0, long-necked marine reptiles that haunted the oceans alongside dinosaurs. Yet, this species stands out markedly from other known fossils. It presents a \u00a0confusing mix\u00a0 of primitive and evolved traits, perplexing researchers for decades.<\/p>\n

Its skeleton reveals at least \u00a036 well-preserved cervical vertebrae\u00a0, suggesting a total likely exceeding \u00a050\u00a0, setting a record within its group. The shoulder structure, in particular, surprised paleontologists: its downward-opening formation is unique among known plesiosaurs.<\/p>\n

Another surprising feature is its wing-like flippers, curved on the underside, seemingly an adaptation for \u00a0powerful downward thrusts\u00a0. This leads to a bold hypothesis: *Traskasaura* may have been the first plesiosaur capable of diving at its prey, akin to a \u00a0marine bird of prey\u00a0.<\/p>\n

A Rediscovery After 35 Years of Mystery<\/h2>\n

The first fossil of *Traskasaura* was discovered in \u00a01988\u00a0, along the \u00a0Puntledge River\u00a0 on Vancouver Island (Canada), by Michael and Heather Trask, after whom the creature is named. Despite a remarkably complete skeleton (including skull, neck, limbs, and tail), its identity remained elusive for decades due to its \u00a0unusual features\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Only with the discovery of a second, better-preserved juvenile specimen were researchers able to confirm that it indeed represented a new \u00a0taxon\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Two *Traskasaura sandrae* individuals hunting the ammonite *Pachydiscus* in the North Pacific during the Late Cretaceous. Robert O. Clark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Fossil Emblem\u2026 and a Human Story<\/h2>\n

The species name, *sandrae*, honors \u00a0Sandra Lee O\u2019Keefe\u00a0, the wife of lead paleontologist F. Robin O\u2019Keefe, celebrated as a “valiant warrior in the fight against breast cancer.”<\/p>\n

Since 2023, *Traskasaura* has been adopted as the official fossil emblem of \u00a0British Columbia\u00a0, and its fossils are now displayed at the \u00a0Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre\u00a0, where the public can marvel at this extraordinary creature.<\/p>\n

An Evolutionary Enigma<\/h2>\n

For researchers, the discovery of *Traskasaura* serves as evidence of \u00a0convergent evolution\u00a0: similar forms appearing independently in different lineages as a response to similar ecological constraints. A \u00a0descending hunting strategy\u00a0, for example, could emerge in multiple species without a direct link.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis creature is different from anything I have studied,\u201d asserts O\u2019Keefe. \u201cThe fossils are full of surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n

And this one, rising from the depths of the past, may very well redefine what we thought we knew about \u00a0Cretaceous marine predators\u00a0. The details of the study are published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A \u00a0major paleoanthropological discovery\u00a0 is reshaping our understanding of ancient \u00a0marine reptiles\u00a0. Researchers have recently identified a new species of \u00a0plesiosaur\u00a0, named *Traskasaura sandrae*, a creature as bizarre as it is formidable, which lived around \u00a085 million years ago\u00a0, during the late \u00a0Cretaceous period\u00a0. This “marine monster” measured nearly \u00a012 meters\u00a0 in length, boasted an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}