The remote snow-covered Talkeetna Mountains in Alaska probably do not evoke thoughts of a diverse ocean ecosystem. But the rocks that make up this region have clued paleontologists into the existence of a 70 million year old Cretaceous seaway that contained Alaska’s first ever elasmosaur. Elasmosaurs are Mesozoic marine reptiles that lived in the oceans during the time the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The elasmosaurs had the longest-necks out of all plesiosaurs, with 36-72 neck vertebrae, and powerful swimming flippers that propelled them through the oceans.
An illustration of a Cretaceous seascape featuring elasmosaurs. Painting by James Havens. (Image... [+]
Currently being excavated by University of Alaska Museum Earth sciences curator Patrick Druckenmiller, he says about the new elasmosaur: “Picture the mythical Loch Ness monster and you have a pretty good idea what it looked like. This is an exciting find because it is the first time an elasmosaur has ever been discovered in Alaska.” This specimen was originally discovered by Anchorage-based fossil collector Curvin Metzler. Metzler had frequently hiked in this area, but had never seen a vertebrate fossil until this discovery.
Metzler and Druckenmiller excavating the elasmosaur specimen (Image Courtesy of Pat Druckenmiller... [+]
Based on the size of the vertebrae found weathering out of the 60-foot vertical cliff face, this animal grew up to an estimated length of 25 feet. Druckenmiller says: “We got a good chunk of the animal but there is still more to excavate.” They hope to finish the excavation next summer and have the specimen displayed at the museum so it can be studied by researchers.
