Scientists To Reveal Ancient Fossil Discovery

[Kor37 9]

Scientists to Unveil Ancient Fossil Discovery

By DIRK LAMMERS

AP

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dec. 11) - The young sea creature never reached 5 feet, a likely victim of a volcano blast that led to its demise some 70 million years ago.

 

Researchers last year braved Antarctica's frigid temperatures and 70-mile-an-hour-plus winds to unearth the juvenile plesiosaur, and they'll introduce their discovery to the public Wednesday evening in South Dakota.

 

Long-neck plesiosaurs, which resemble Scotland's legendary Loch Ness monster, can reach more than 32 feet in length. They sport paddle-like fins that allow them to fly through water in a motion similar to that of a penguin.

 

James Martin, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's Museum of Geology in Rapid City, and Judd Case, a paleontologist from Eastern Washington University, co-led the weekslong expedition. It was funded by the National Science Foundation and Argentina's Instituto Antartico Argentino.

 

The marine reptile discovered on Vega Island is one of the most complete plesiosaur skeletons ever found, missing just its skull, some fins and part of the tail end. The skull eroded away from the body, and the site's extreme weather and a lack of field time prevented the team from continuing its search, the foundation said.

 

Because prehistoric Antarctica sat much further north than its current South Pole location, the reptiles actually lived in ocean waters much warmer than they are today.

 

The sea creature's stomach area was well preserved and revealed forked stomach ribs unlike the straight bones of most plesiosaurs. Researchers also found rounded stomach stones in the abdomen cavity, indicating the youthful sea creature may have eaten them to help it stay buoyant or digest its food.

 

The fossilized remains were embedded in rocks in an area believed to have been a shallow water marine environment.

 

The team encased the remains in a plaster jacket, and the Argentina Air Force lifted it onto an NSF chartered research ship for transport to the United States.

 

The unveiling is planned for 6 p.m. MST Wednesday at the Rapid City school's Museum of Geology.

 

Martin and J. Forest Sawyer, also from the expedition, will receive Department of Defense Antarctica Service Medals, the foundation said

 

Wow!