Mike Trask, a British Columbia fossil hunter, was honored posthumously with the confirmation that the marine reptile he discovered 37 years ago on Vancouver Island is a new genus and species, Traskasaura sandrae. The discovery, made alongside his then 12-year-old daughter Heather, was published shortly after his death on May 15. Heather Trask had passed away in 2023.
Traskasaura, measuring about 12 meters long and dating back roughly 85 million years to the Cretaceous period, features unique heavy, sharp teeth suited for crushing. Previously misidentified as an elasmosaur, new fossil findings, including a better-preserved specimen found by Mike’s twin brother Pat Trask in 2020, helped confirm its status as a distinct genus.
Named British Columbia’s official fossil emblem in 2023, Traskasaura joins other provincial symbols like the Pacific dogwood and western red cedar. Despite health issues near the end of his life, Mike Trask was aware of and grateful for the official recognition of his legacy.
Source: Swifteradio.com
