It was a discovery that was millions of years in the making.
The skull and other remains from the marine reptile, a plesiosaur, were found at the Syncrude North Mine site near Fort McMurray.
Scott Fisher, a geotechnical instrumentation technician with Neegan Technical Services, discovered the reptile’s skull first in rocks that were in an inactive area at the oilsands site. The site is located about 64 kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray.
The remains of the plesiosaur were 60 per cent complete, according to Royal Tyrrell Museum staff.
Dr. Lorna O’Brien, head technician at the Royal Tyrrell, said staff were elated to find a preserved skull from prehistoric times.
“In this case, the skull was the first thing reported to us so that was really nice. Our researchers
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