2 mar 2012
Alberta's claim to prehistoric fame is on the rise again, with a complete marine reptile fossil found last month.
Discovered Feb. 16, efforts to remove the 75-million-year-old specimen from the Korite Mine near Lethbridge, Alta., about 222 km southeast of Calgary, are underway now and should take another five days.
It will be taken to the Royal Tyrrell Museum near Drumheller, Alta., about 135 km northeast of Calgary.
Officials from the museum said the fossil is that of a mosasaur, "an extinct, flipper-bearing prehistoric marine reptile," and "one of the most completely preserved mosasaur fossils discovered in Alberta."
The fossil is six to seven metres in length, including the skull.
According to officials, it was first thought those working the site were only dealing with a tail find, but a little digging revealed much more.
"It's been almost five years since we've found a marine reptile at the Korite Mine," said Royal Tyrrell Museum executive director Andrew Neuman.
"The Korite Mine and the museum maintain a very positive relationship, which has led to the recovery of a number of significant fossils."
The last find at the mine, back in 2007, was a new species of elasmosaur, also a marine reptile.
