The sea creature skeleton resembles the Antarctic Loch Ness monster

The 12 meter long plesiosaur skeleton dating back 150 million years was first discovered in Antarctica.

Researchers found a 150 million-year-old sea monster skeleton from the Jurassic period in Antarctica, the International Business Times reported on Dec. 23. This prehistoric creature is a known species, thought to be very similar in Scotland. This is the first long-necked lizard found in the area and also the oldest creature ever discovered in Antarctica.

Scientists unearth the skeleton of a long-necked lizard in Antarctica.(Video: YouTube).

The four-fined sea monster has a giant body and a long curved neck. The long-necked lizard, once common in the oceans on Earth in the Antarctic period, is still part of the continent of Gondwana.

"This discovery is extremely special, because we don't think the rocks in the area help preserve the bones, like the spine of a reptile. In the excavation area, you can find many diverse organisms. like fish, petrified shells, bivalves, but we didn't expect to find an ancient long-necked lizard , ' Soledad Cavalli, a paleontologist at the Scientific and Technical Research Council Argentina country, share.

Scientists undergo a two-hour helicopter flight from the Marambio station in Argentina to Antarctica to move to the frozen continental margin. Here, they found the long neck lizard bones about 12m long."It's interesting to go there, where no one has been here for 23 years , " said paleontologist José Patricio O'Gorman, a member of the research team.

"It's the farthest place we've ever been in surveys of vertebrate paleontology in Antarctica. Surveys in Argentina are often conducted near Marambio station (in the islands of Marambio, James Ross and Vega). But we have expanded our scope of work and are excited to go further, ' Cavalli said.

Long neck lizard skeleton.(Photo: Daily Star).

According to Cavalli, the specimen is surprisingly well preserved because of the sea floor, where the remains of ancient creatures are buried, virtually no oxygen so other organisms can survive. This condition prevents specimens from being destroyed by marine animals, while ensuring rotting does not occur.

Long neck lizards attracted much attention from paleontologists from the first discovery in the 18th century. Although long-necked lizards are not dinosaurs, two species live on Earth millions of years ago. when they were wiped out by large meteorites about 66 million years ago.