Edmonton (eCanadaNow) - It has been about fourteen years since miners working in a mine to the north of Fort McMurry discovered a curious looking fossil. When it was first discovered the company running the mine, Syncrude Canada allowed scientists a 24 hour window to observe and remove the fossil that was discovered.
Now, it has been named.
The curious looking ancient fossilized remains is now to be known as “Nichollsia Borealis,” according to the name given it by researchers. It resembles something akin to what the famed Loch Ness Monster might look like, albeit in much smaller form.
Researchers at the University of Calgary have been studying the fossil for years, and they have decided on a name. It is thought to be one of the best-preserved examples of a plesiosaur that has ever been discovered. It swam at one time in a warm sea that covered the province, more than 100 million years ago.
The fossil has a large mouth and pointed teeth, and features a long extended neck. The ancient reptile is believed to have hunted fish and aquatic life when it lived so many eons ago. It is not officially classified as a dinosaur, but it lived at about the same time as the dinosaurs are thought to have roamed the earth.
