Vancouver Island fossil hunters honoured in naming of prehistoric sea monster

Karin Larsen · CBC News

· Posted: May 23, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A fossil-hunting father-daughter squad from Vancouver Island has been recognized successful the naming of a caller genus of elephantine prehistoric oversea lizard recovered adjacent Courtenay astir 40 years ago.

Michael and Heather Trask were the archetypal to find remains of an elasmosaur west of the Canadian Rockies erstwhile they discovered the fossils along the Puntledge River successful 1988.

Viewed arsenic "odd" by experts for years, those specimens person precocious been deemed unsocial to the Pacific Northwest, both older and dissimilar immoderate different taxon of elasmosaur fossils recovered elsewhere successful the world.

Hence, the caller sanction Traskasaura, announced Friday successful the Journal of Systematic Paleontology, combining the families' surname and "saura," which is Greek for lizard. 

"It's a large sanction and my household is really, truly loving it," said Pat Trask, member to Michael, uncle to Heather, and himself nary alien to the wonders of fossils arsenic the curator of earthy past astatine the Courtenay Museum and Palaeontology Centre. 

"They discovered the elasmosaur just looking for fossils, benignant of a accidental find," helium said. "They knew determination were fossils retired there, but they didn't expect to find a oversea monster, that's for sure."

With a elephantine jaw afloat of pointy teeth, snake-like cervix and proportionately tiny turtle-shaped body, Traskasaura serves arsenic an 85-million-year-old reminder of animals that erstwhile slithered done what is present the Salish Sea erstwhile the world was covered by ocean.

Making it a full-on household matter are the juvenile Traskasaura fossils, discovered by Pat successful the Comox Valley 5 years ago. With 2 specimens to study, it wasn't agelong earlier experts realized they were so looking at something caller to subject and the elasmosaur family.  

"The fossil grounds is afloat of surprises," said pb survey writer Prof. F. Robin O'Keefe of Marshall University successful West Virginia. "It is ever gratifying to observe thing unexpected."

Under its erstwhile name, B.C. named Traskasaura the province's authoritative fossil emblem successful 2023 aft holding a nationalist vote, putting it up determination with the Pacific dogwood and salmon, Western reddish cedar and tone carnivore arsenic important taste symbols.

The unveiling of the caller name, however, is tinged with sadness. On May 15, Michael passed distant aft a agelong illness. He is predeceased by Heather, who died a fewer years earlier.

"I got the property merchandise a portion ago, and I really framed it, and I took it to my member portion helium was inactive cognizant truthful that helium would recognize that it was done," said Pat. "It's beauteous that helium knew."

Michael's solemnisation of beingness is June 1 astatine the Courtenay Museum and Paleaontology Centre, fittingly successful the shadiness of the life-size Traskasaura skeleton replica.

"It's a fantastic bequest for him and his daughter. It's a bequest for my family. And it's a bequest for our community," said Pat.