A 200 million year old reptilian fossil was discovered by Alaskan scientists along the shores of Tongass National Forest. It was the low tide that made the discovery possible as a rare marine creature called Thalattosaurs was submerged in water and rocks. The last Thalattosaurs to survive was after the Triassic period, roughly 200 million years ago.

An almost complete skeleton was recovered along with an outline of the body embedded onto surrounding rocks. The creature is usually between 3 to 10 feet long with padded limbs and flat tails. The snout turns downward and contains both pointy teeth for catching fish and flat ones for breaking shells.

Scientists are continuing to dig out the rest of the fossils along with finding the skull which may be buried deep into the beach rocks. They were able to dig out two large slabs of rocks with fossils embedded. The slabs were sent to a museum lab in order to chip out the delicate bones in hopes of revealing one of the most complete Thalattosaur skeleton ever discovered.

The tail may contain the most pieces as it makes up one third of the creature's complete length. The rare Thalattosaurs discovery is just one of a dozen in the world and China currently holds a the most complete skeleton.

Further research will be underway in order to find more details in verifying the species. Click on "START" to see more rare dinosaur fossils that have been discovered over the years.

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Rare Reptile Fossil Discovered in Alaska, Plus Other Dinosaur Skeletons Photos
An extreme low tide along the shore of the Tongass National Forest in May revealed the tail of a thalattosaur fossil, a long-tailed sea creature that plied warm, shallow waters in the early days of dinosaurs and became extinct at the end of the Triassic period some 200 million years ago. Reuters
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