Overview

• Traskasaura sandrae, a new genus and species of elasmosaur, has been formally described in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.
• The fossils, dating back 85 million years, were first discovered in 1988 along the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island and include three individuals from the Haslam Formation.
• The species displays a mix of primitive and derived traits, with a shoulder structure unlike any other known plesiosaur, and is adapted for hunting prey like ammonites from above.
• Traskasaura sandrae was declared British Columbia's provincial fossil in 2023 after a public poll, underscoring its local cultural and scientific importance.
• The naming honors the original discoverers, Michael and Heather Trask, and researcher Sandra Lee O’Keefe, with fossils now displayed at the Courtenay and District Museum.