Paleontological Breakthrough in Algeria - Prehistoric Marine Reptile

Paleontological Breakthrough: Algeria Discovers First Remains of a Prehistoric Marine Reptile

The partial fossil comes from a plesiosaur that lived about 88 million years ago, as researchers from Djebel Essen in the Tébessa region (northeastern Algeria) discovered. A single vertebral fossil from the late Coniacian stage of the Upper Cretaceous (approximately 87–86 million years ago) has been recovered and is attributed to a plesiosaur – likely an Elasmosauridae. The fragment is anatomically characterized by ventral foramina on the vertebral body and distinctive articular surfaces, consistent with the structure of long-necked plesiosaur marine reptiles. At Djebel Essen in the Tébessa region (northeastern Algeria), a single vertebral fossil from the late Coniacian stage of the Upper Cretaceous (approximately 87–86 million years ago) was recovered. It is attributed to a plesiosaur—likely an Elasmosauridae. The fragment is anatomically characterized by ventral foramina on the vertebral body and distinctive articular surfaces, consistent with the structure of long-necked plesiosaur marine reptiles. Until now, no plesiosaur remains had been found in Algeria, and only a few Coniacian plesiosaur fossils have been discovered worldwide; this discovery fills a gap in the stratigraphic and spatial distribution of these marine reptiles. The extent of known plesiosaur fossils in North Africa, from the Turonian to the Maastrichtian stages, can now be extended to include the Coniacian stage. The team led by Dr. Mohammed Naimi plans follow-up fieldwork in the Essen Formation and adjacent strata to locate further skeletal elements and precise fossil horizons. This could establish Algeria as an important site for the study of Cretaceous marine fauna in North Africa. This suggests that marine reptiles inhabited the waters that once covered present-day Algeria. Scientists are already planning further expeditions to Tébessa to find additional skeletal remains of the same animal. The goal is to identify the precise plesiosaur species and to understand how living conditions in this region developed millions of years ago.