Long-necked and measuring in at 12 meters, Traskasaura sandrae—as it is officially named today in this new study—possessed heavy, sharp, robust teeth, ideal for crushing.

Findings, published in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology, highlight Traskasaura as having a strange mix of primitive and derived traits unlike any other elasmosaur.

Its unique suite of adaptations enabled this plesiosaur to hunt prey from above. The findings suggest that the fierce marine reptile was perhaps one of the first plesiosaur taxa to do so.

The 85-million-year-old fossils are not new to science, though, far from it.

The first (now known to be) Traskasaura fossil was discovered from Late Cretaceous rocks in 1988 along the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island. Since then, additional fossils have been recovered: an isolated right humerus and a well-preserved juvenile skeleton comprising thorax, girdles and limbs. All in all, three animals are part of the collection detailed in the new paper, all from the Haslam Formation of Vancouver Island.

First described in 2002, the fossils recently became famous, having been adopted by the Province of British Columbia and declared as the official fossil emblem of British Columbia (the Provincial Fossil of British Columbia). They are currently on public display at The Courtenay and District Museum and Paleontology Center, Courtenay, British Columbia.