Traskasaura

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Traskasaura
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Santonian), ~86–84 Ma
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Reconstructed skeleton in Canadian Museum of Nature
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: †Sauropterygia
Order: †Plesiosauria
Family: †Elasmosauridae
Genus: †Traskasaura
O'Keefe et al., 2025
Species:
†T. sandrae
Binomial name
†Traskasaura sandrae
O'Keefe et al., 2025

Traskasaura (meaning "Trask lizard") is an extinct genus of basal elasmosaurid plesiosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian age) Haslam Formation of British Columbia, Canada. The genus contains a single species, Traskasaura sandrae, known from the remains of three individuals.

Discovery and naming

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Skull of the paratype specimen in Courtenay Museum

The Traskasaura fossil material was discovered in outcrops of the Haslam Formation (Nanaimo Group) on Vancouver Island of British Columbia, Canada. The holotype specimen, CDM 002, was found in 1988 by Mike Trask and his daughter Heather on the bank of the Puntledge River near Courtenay, and consists of the nearly complete, albeit poorly-preserved, skeleton of a mature individual. The paratype specimen, CDM 161, was found on the bank of the Trent River near Highway 19, and consists of a partial, well-preserved skeleton of an immature individual. A third specimen, CDM 2006.8.1, represented by a single right humerus, was found during the construction of this highway. It is intermediate in ossification (an indication of maturity) and size between the holotype and paratype specimens.[1][2]

In a 2002 paper detailing the Nanaimo fossil marine reptiles, Nicholls and Meckert published a preliminary description of CDM 002. They identified it as belonging to an indeterminate elasmosaurid, possibly a previously unrecognized taxon. However, given the poor preservation of the specimen, they refrained from naming it.[3] The subsequent discovery of CDM 161 in 2020 allowed for improved anatomical interpretations and comparisons with other taxa.[1]

In a 2018 public poll, 48% of responding British Columbian voters selected the then-unnamed "Courtenay elasmosaur" as the preferred "provincial fossil". In 2023, the taxon was officially recognized as the emblematic Provincial Fossil of British Columbia.[1][4] It was informally called the "Courtenay elasmosaur" or "Puntledge River elasmosaur" prior to its formal description.[5][6]

In 2025, O'Keefe et al. described Traskasaura sandrae as a new genus and species of plesiosaurs based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Traskasaura, honours Michael and Heather Trask, the discoverers of the holotype. This is combined with "saura", the feminine conjugation of the Ancient Greek σαῦρος (saûros), meaning "lizard". The specific name, sandrae, honours Sandra Lee O'Keefe (née Markey).[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d O'Keefe, F. Robin; Armour Smith, Elliott; Clark, Robert O.; Otero, Rodrigo A.; Perella, Anna; Trask, Patrick (2025-05-22). "A name for the Provincial Fossil of British Columbia: a strange new elasmosaur taxon from the Santonian of Vancouver Island". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 23 (1). doi:10.1080/14772019.2025.2489938. ISSN 1477-2019.
  2. ^ "B.C.'s new official fossil emblem enriches cultural identity". BC Gov News. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
  3. ^ Nicholls, Elizabeth L; Meckert, Dirk (2002-11-01). "Marine reptiles from the Nanaimo Group (Upper Cretaceous) of Vancouver Island". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 39 (11): 1591–1603. doi:10.1139/e02-075. ISSN 0008-4077.
  4. ^ Taylor & Francis (2025-05-23). Harley, Sadie; Egan, Robert (eds.). "Mystery of 'very odd' elasmosaur finally solved: One of North America's most famous fossils identified as new species". Phys.org. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  5. ^ Nicholls, Elizabeth L; Meckert, Dirk (2002-11-01). "Marine reptiles from the Nanaimo Group (Upper Cretaceous) of Vancouver Island". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 39 (11): 1591–1603. doi:10.1139/e02-075. ISSN 0008-4077.
  6. ^ Ludvigsen, R. (1996). "Ancient Saurians: Cretaceous Reptiles of Vancouver Island". Life in Stone: A Natural History of British Columbia's Fossils. University of British Columbia Press. doi:10.59962/9780774854283-014.