Traskasaura sandrae: Canada’s Strangest Cretaceous Sea Monster Finally Named – The “Oddball” Elasmosaur That Hunted from Above

In a long-awaited scientific resolution, paleontologists have formally named Traskasaura sandrae — a bizarre 12-metre (40-foot) elasmosaur from 85-million-year-old rocks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Described May 23, 2025, in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, this basal elasmosaurid plesiosaur is hailed as the “strangest marine reptile of the Cretaceous” for its unprecedented mix of primitive and advanced traits.

Led by Robin O’Keefe of Marshall University, the team resolved decades of mystery surrounding fossils first discovered in 1988 by Michael and Heather Trask along the Puntledge River in the Haslam Formation. Additional specimens, including a juvenile skeleton and isolated humerus, completed the picture. Declared British Columbia’s official provincial fossil in 2023, the creature now has a proper idenтιтy: Traskasaura (“Trask lizard”) honors its discoverers.

What makes T. sandrae extraordinary is its anatomy — a short neck unlike typical long-necked elasmosaurs, combined with unique limb and vertebral features suggesting it ambushed prey from above, perhaps plunging downward like a modern osprey. This “odd” suite of adaptations enabled specialized hunting in the northern Pacific waters of the Late Cretaceous.

The naming finally solves the idenтιтy of one of Canada’s most famous marine fossils and highlights how re-studying historic collections yields revolutionary insights. With the specimen on display at the Courtenay and District Museum, Traskasaura sandrae stands as a testament to British Columbia’s prehistoric marine heritage — proving even “known” fossils can hide the strangest secrets of the ancient seas.