The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden, Manitoba, has recently debuted its latest attraction – a Styxosaurus exhibit showcasing the reconstructed skeleton of a long-necked plesiosaur that roamed the seas millions of years ago during the Cretaceous era. The museum’s executive director, Adolfo Cuetara, revealed that the specimen was discovered in 1983 at North Cox farm near Miami, Manitoba, and was reconstructed using 3D technology from the original bones found during mining operations.
This innovative reconstruction process involved printing over 400 bones and assembling them to create a lifelike representation of the Styxosaurus, a marine reptile that perished alongside the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The exhibit also features a sculpture of the creature generated using artificial intelligence technology. Styxosaurus, an adult of which could grow up to 12 meters in length and weigh over 4,000 kilograms, possessed a distinctive eel-like head with sharp, cone-shaped teeth for hunting prey.
The ancient creature once navigated the Western Interior Seaway, an ancient body of water that once divided North America and covered regions that now make up the Prairies. Young visitors like twelve-year-old Jorja Doerksen, who visited the museum for the first time, were captivated by the unique display. Doerksen expressed her fascination with the skeletons and the skin model on exhibit, particularly drawn to the fact that the bones were unearthed in Manitoba. She likened plesiosaurs to the mythical Loch Ness monster due to their similar appearances.
Visitors to the exhibit are invited to propose names for the Styxosaurus, a common practice among paleontologists to nickname specimens. The winning entry will be selected at the end of the summer, with the victor receiving a themed prize. Doerksen suggested the name “Apollo” for the Styxosaurus, drawing inspiration from Greek mythology as the creature’s name pays homage to the River Styx.