Rare Fossilized Thalattosaur Discovered in Alaska

A rare fossil has been found in Alaska! Paleontologists have found a portion of a fossilized thalattosaur, a type of sea reptile. “The thalattosaur group includes several species of lizards with an eel-like body and a long flattened tail.”1

The fossil was found in a rock that was completely covered by water for most of the year. This made it very challenging for paleontologists to dig up the fossil. During June, a team from the University of Alaska excavated the fossil. “The team faced a two-day window in which they had just four hours each day to remove the fossil. The next chance to do so wouldn’t come until October.”2

The paleontologists were able to dig out two large chunks of rock, each weighing around 500 pounds. The rocks contain the visible parts of the fossil, and hopefully, the portions of the thalattosaur that are missing. It will take several months to carefully search these rocks.

So far, thalattosaur fossils have all been discovered in the same rock layer (Triassic). “The extensive fossil population and sedimentation pattern of the Triassic layer is consistent with its formation during the early part of the global Flood.”3

For More Information:

• Five Fossil Mysteries . . . That Evolution Can’t Explain
• Fossilized Footprints—Made By Dinosaur Ancestors?
• Kids Feedback: How Do Jellyfish Fossilize?
• Q & A: The Flood
• Q & A: Fossils