The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden, Manitoba, has debuted its newest exhibit showcasing the Styxosaurus, a long-necked plesiosaur that inhabited the waters during the Cretaceous period millions of years ago. Discovered in 1983 during mining operations at North Cox farm near Miami, Man., the exhibit features reconstructed skeletons created using 3D printing technology from the original bones found at the site.
Executive director Adolfo Cuetara explained that over 400 bones were printed and assembled to recreate the full skeleton of the Styxosaurus, a marine reptile that coexisted with dinosaurs and eventually went extinct 66 million years ago. The exhibit also includes a lifelike sculpture of the plesiosaur generated using artificial intelligence.
Measuring up to 12 meters in length and weighing around 4,000 kilograms, the adult Styxosaurus had a distinctive long neck comprising 60 to 72 vertebrae, with its eel-like head adorned with sharp, conical teeth for hunting prey. The creature thrived in the ancient Western Interior Seaway, an inland sea that once divided North America and covered regions now part of the Prairies.
Young visitor Jorja Doerksen expressed her fascination with the exhibit, highlighting the detailed skeletons and skin models on display. She noted her newfound appreciation for plesiosaurs and drew parallels to the mythical Loch Ness monster. Visitors can suggest names for the Styxosaurus, following a tradition in paleontology to assign nicknames to specimens, such as the centre’s Bruce the mosasaur.
A summer-end selection will determine the official name for the Styxosaurus, with the chosen namer receiving a themed prize. Doerksen proposed the name “Apollo” in reference to the creature’s namesake, the River Styx from Greek mythology.
