100 million year old plesiosaur fossil

From Dr Espen Knutsen, Senior Scientist and Curator Palaeontology:
"This juvenile elasmosaurid plesiosaur specimen, about 100 million years old, was discovered in 2022 on a cattle station near McKinlay in western Queensland, by a family trio of fossil hunters aptly known as the 'Rock Chicks'.

The specimen preserves the head, neck, and part of the shoulder, and is Australia’s first elasmosaur with the head and body still connected – making it a crucial example for understanding plesiosaur diversity and evolution. It was excavated by the station owners with assistance from our team at Queensland Museum, where it is currently undergoing preparation work."

The fossil forms part of a PhD project supervised by Dr Espen Knutsen, Senior Scientist and Curator Paleontology at Queensland Museum, which combines traditional palaeontology with CT scanning and geochemical analyses to study elasmosaur diversity and ecology.

This specimen is part of Queensland Museum's Palaeontology Collection. Donate now to take care of this treasure.