In 1938, in the Chalumna River in South Africa, a fish was discovered. The Coelacanth (pictured below), lesser known as Latimeria chalumnae, was thought to have been extinct for almost 300 million years but there it was, swimming happily. The find was not an isolated one. Over the years, specimens have been found in other parts of Africa as far north as Tanzania. A “sister” species of Latimeria was found in Indonesia in 1999.
I bring the Coelacanth to your attention because of a fossil find in Saskatchewan. The Royal Saskatchewan Museum announced in 1995 that a huge 73 million year old Tylosaur was excavated near Herbert Ferry on Lake Diefenbaker.
A Tylosaurus was a lizard-like reptile that swam in shallow seas in the late Cretaceous period, approximately 70 – 80 million years ago. They had small flippers but large jaws, teeth and vertebrae. They were found in large numbers all through out North America.
At the time of the Tylosaur, the Bearpaw Sea, an inland waterway that stretched from western Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, was a combination of fresh and salt water. That is one of the reasons that there are so many salt flats and deposits in western Canada. The Tylosaur flourished in great numbers, feeding on fish, other reptiles and even on other Tylosaur. They ranged up to 15 metres long and could weigh many tons. Their heads included long snouts that they used to ram their prey to render it
easier to catch?
Take a look at the Tylosaur in its stretched configuration, as seen below. Does that not strike you as being somewhat the same configuration as what has been described as many sea monsters in Canada? It is not exact, but then most of the sightings of Cadborosaurous, Turtle Lake Monster and other sea creatures have been sketchy at best. Anyway, what changes could be possible through evolution over an 80 million year period?
I am not saying that sea monsters exist in Canada. I am also not saying the Tylosauraus has escaped extinction.
What I am saying is that you cannot dismiss the “eyewitness” reports of sightings, out of hand. The experience of the Coelacanth is evidence that, in science, the words always and never are dangerous ones to use.
Canadian sea monsters include:
Cadborosaurous,
Turtle Lake Monster,
Ogopogo,
Igopogo,
Memphre and even more.
