Nichollsia

The fossil was discovered accidentally by giant electric shovel operators in an oilsand mine. The shovel cut off some bones, but the rest of the skeleton was almost complete.1

This plesiosaur was named after Dr. Betsy Nicholls, a famous paleontologist. The first name Nichollsia was already used for a type of isopod, so scientists changed it to Nichollssaura.1

Nichollssaura had 165 gastroliths (stomach stones) inside it. The stones were smooth and round, probably swallowed to help grind food.1

The stomach stones came from rocks that were 8 to 10 million years older than the plesiosaur itself. This suggests Nichollssaura may have swum west to collect pebbles from ancient beaches.1

It lived about 110 million years ago in the Boreal Sea, a warm shallow sea that covered parts of North America.1

The holotype specimen is on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada.1