Long neck, pointed teeth, this monster used to rule the sea, 80 million years old fossil found in New Zealand

Fossils of giant marine reptiles that lived 80 million years ago have been found in a cyclone that hit New Zealand. February’s Cyclone Gabrielle hit the Maungataniwa Native Forest in New Zealand’s North Island. Because of which the surrounding rocks and boulders were uprooted from the mountain waterway. Paleontologists believe two newly found fossils that were first discovered in March but have just been announced may belong to Elasmosaurus.

fossil of an elasmosaurus

Huge, long-necked marine reptile that can grow to about 45 feet (14 m) long. The team also found another fossilized vertebra that may have come from a mosasaur. A giant marine reptile that was an apex marine predator in the dinosaur age. Mosasaur fossils have been found in New Zealand before. Fossil teeth and a partial jawbone were discovered in 2015 at Mangahunga Stream. The fossils were discovered by staff and volunteers from the Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust, a conservation initiative set up to protect New Zealand’s native flora and fauna.

Deadliest cyclone to hit the country since 1968

Gabrielle was a severe tropical cyclone that devastated the North Island of New Zealand between 12 and 16 February. It was the deadliest cyclone to hit the country since 1968, killing 11 people. According to a statement issued by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, the rivers in the mountainous region where the fossils were found were in spate. In this, millions of cubic feet of rain water was lifting boulders the size of shopping trolleys.