Australia’s Maritime Rosetta: Fossil Explorer’s Find

Three amateur palaeontologists have made a major discovery at a remote station in the Queensland outback. The remains of a 100-million-year-old long-necked marine reptile known as a plesiosaur have been recovered in their entirety, marking a major first for Australia.

Cassadra, the station’s owner, along with fellow fossil enthusiasts Sally and Cythia, known as the ‘Rock Chicks’, made this extraordinary find. The fossil, regarded as the Rosetta stop of marine reptile palaeo-logy, is of similar significance to the eye-catching carved stop evoking the mysteries of Egyptian hieroglyphics discovered in Egypt in 1799.

To recover this treasure, a team of paleoptologists from the museum embarked on a journey to the remote site. The fossil they collected belonged to an elasmosaurus, a type of plesiosaur that coexisted with dinosaurs. These magnificent creatures inhabited the Eromaga Sea, which developed vast areas of mainland Australia between 140 and 100 million years ago.

The recovery was led by Qυeeпslaпd Mυseυm Network’s lead scientist, Dr Espeп Kпυtseп, who said the remains were the first head and body of an Australian elastmosaurus to be preserved in a museum collection.

A team of museum paleotologists traveled to the remote site to collect the fossil of the elasmosaurus, a plesiosaur that lived alongside diposaurs.

The remains are the first head and body of an Australian elasmosaurus to be displayed in a museum collection.

“We were very excited when we saw this fossil – it’s like the Rosetta stone of marine palaeo-logy, as it may hold the key to unravelling the diversity and evolution of long-beaked plesiosaurs in Cretaceous Australia,” said Dr Kпυtseп.

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

There are now over a hundred species of plesiosaurs worldwide: some had long beaks and small heads, and others had short beaks with giant heads.

The elasmosaurus came to the surface of the water to breathe air and had thinner teeth for capturing fish, crabs and mollusks.

Scientists have discovered plesiosaur pits with plugs (called gastroliths) in the stomach area, showing that they allowed them to hold onto food in their stomach or as ballast to help them split.

Dr Jim Thompson, chief executive of the Queensland Museum Network, said the IDF would help paint a complete picture of Queensland’s Cretaceous marine reptiles.

“We have the first preserved head and body of an Australian elastmosaur in the world, and this important find will greatly contribute to research into Quebec’s Cretaceous past,” said Dr. Thompson.

Elasmosaurus lived in the Eromaga Sea, which covered much of mainland Australia between 140 and 100 million years ago.

“The Qeeпslapd museum network holds one of Australia’s most complete plesiosaur specimens, named ‘Dave the Plesiosaur’, which was discovered in 1999; however, despite having 80 per cent of its body, it was missing its head, fists and tail tips.”

Along with the new skeleton, plesiosaur and ichthyosaur remains were discovered and collected on the field trip, which will be transported to Towsville for preparation and future research.

The site is one of the largest ever discovered by amateur palaeoanthropologists the Rock Chicks, who have walked hundreds of miles in their quest to find pits that each include a plesiosaur, a kroposaur, an ichthyosaur and various fish and turtles.

In a groundbreaking find, three amateur paleontologists, known as the “Rock Chicks,” have uncovered a 100-million-year-old elasmosaurus fossil in Queensland, Australia. This is the first complete head and body of an Australian plesiosaur ever recovered. Scientists call it the “Rosetta Stone” of marine paleontology, as it could unravel mysteries of Cretaceous marine life. The fossil will aid in understanding the evolution of these long-necked marine reptiles and their environment in the ancient Eromaga Sea.