A fossil find in southwest Saskatchewan is creating some excitement in the lab at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. It’s from a Prognathadon, which the RSM explains is often called the T.rex of the sea, because of its massive skull and teeth. A news release from the province says to date, RSM staff have collected the majority of the skull, most of the neck and a few bones from further back in the skeleton. The find appears to have a skull measuring 130 centimetres in length, as compared to the three known specimens in Albert which around between 80 and 90 centimetres.

The discovery adds to the knowledge of ancient sea life that once covered Saskatchewan. The dig takes years. It was originally found by someone from the area in 2012. The fossil will be housed at the museum and is expected to be part of new fossil exhibits in three or four years.

Paleontologist, Dr. Ryan McKellar says they were pleasantly surprised to find most of the front of the skull preserved, and additional bones running into the hillside. In Saskatchewan, Bearpaw Shale was deposited by this seaway across much of southern Saskatchewan. Grasslands National Park West Block is one of the best places to find fossils in this rock layer because of the park’s extensive badlands exposures. It is hoped that more of the body can be recovered in the coming summer and could add another marine reptile more than 10 metres in total body length to the provincial collection.