Paleontologists Uncover Rare 'Loch Ness' Marine Reptile Fossil in Alabama

About 80 million years ago, a massive marine reptile ruled the open seas. With its long neck and large flippers, this creature looked more like the Loch Ness monster than anything else. Now, scientists have discovered the fossilized remains of this rare animal, revealing a little bit more about the creature.

Known as the plesiosaur, this creature became extinct by the end of the Cretaceous, which is about 66.5 million years ago. Among the largest of plesiosaurs, this specimen was what is known as an elasmosaurus, which possesses needle-like teeth. The reptile probably stalked schools of fish beneath the waves as its main source of food.

The recently unearthed fossil was discovered in Alabama in a small quarry in rural Greene County, a region commonly called the "Black Belt." This area represents the late Cretaceous shoreline in the Gulf Coast.

Actually finding fossils of the plesiosaur in this area, though, is extremely rare. This one is only the second elasmosaurid specimen containing more than one or two bones found in the state. The first, which consists of just 22 vertebrae, was found in the late 1960s. The new one, in contrast, consists of 15 large vertebrae, a few paddle bones and many bone fragments; the excavation, though, is still in progress. It's possible that they could find quite a few more bones.

"We find a lot of the more common fossils here, but this is a macropredator that is not normally found in Alabama," said Dana Ehret, UA Museum paleontologist, in a news release. "It's really interesting because it gives us a bigger picture of what was happening in Alabama at that time."

The new discovery is an important find for the area. The researchers could potentially do an extensive comparative analysis with the other specimen. Currently, the researchers are unwrapping and preparing the bones in a lab. It will take several more weeks before they're properly prepared; eventually, it will be displayed in UA's Smith Hall.