This is the best-preserved marine vertebrate skeleton in Australia. It is a short-necked plesiosaur, related to Kronosaurus and the Elasmosaurs. It's four hydrofoil shaped paddles would have made it a fast and highly manoeuvrable swimmer. Its long, narrow snout is similar to that of a freshwater crocodile or dolphin and could cut through the water is a scissor like action to catch fish in its pointed teeth.
The Richmond Pliosaur is almost 100% complete, from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail and to the ends of 3 of its 4 paddles. It is possibly the best-preserved skeleton in the world. Plesiosaur fossils are usually incomplete as the skeleton contained large portions of cartilage which does not fossilise and because parts of the animal often drifted away or were taken away by scavengers as the carcass decomposed.
The carcass of this animal probably did not float in the water for any length of time and most likely sank to the sea floor soon after death, preserving it intact It is displayed in the position it was found, although it originally lay on its back. The carcass probably came to rest upside-down because the stomach would have been bloated with decomposition gases.
The Richmond Pliosaur is a unique find and is still undergoing scientific study.
