BC’s Official Fossil Emblem Identified As New Genus

Photo Credit: Courtenay Museum and Paleontology Centre

Only days after fossil hunter Michael Trask's death, his biggest discovery was identified to be a new species. Trask and his daughter found the 85 million-year-old 12-metre long sea fossil nearly 37 years ago while searching for fossils at the Puntledge River in BC’s northeast. 

"They discovered the elasmosaur just looking for fossils, kind of a chance find," Pat Trask, Michael’s brother, told CBC News. "They knew there were fossils out there, but they didn't expect to find a sea monster, that's for sure. That’s a big legacy. It’s not his only attribute, but it’s a good one.”

This sea monster has a giant jaw with pointed teeth around the size of house keys. Its main body is similar to a turtle’s, but its massive neck is comparable to that of a snake. The species swam during a period when the Earth was entirely covered with water. Currently, its territory covers Vancouver Island and southern British Columbia, as well as Puget Sound in Washington State.

Around two years before Trask died, his finding was named BC’s official fossil emblem. At this point, many researchers regarded the reptile as a strange creature from the species plesiosaur, which derives uniquely from the Pacific Northwest.

The species of the elasmosaurus that Trask discovered is the oldest and the most distinctive of all elasmosauruses, for which a new name was constructed. The Journal of Scientific Paleontology named the species Traskasaura, implementing the surname of the finders, and saura, the Greek word for lizard. "It's a great name and my family is really, really loving it," Pat Trask said.

Michael Trask’s life will be celebrated on June 1 at the Courtenay museum and Paleontology centre, which houses the massive Traskasaura skeleton. "It's a wonderful legacy for him and his daughter. It's a legacy for my family. And it's a legacy for our community," said Pat Trask.