The first intact fossil of an ancient plesiosaur that lived 100 million years ago has been found in outback Queensland. 

It’s the first time the fossilised remains of an Elasmosaurus, a marine reptile, have been found intact in Australia in a discovery scientists say is “like the Rosetta stone of marine palaeontology”.

Dr Espen Knutsen told Laurel, Gary & Mark the creature’s lanky anatomy is behind the high number of partial fossils.

“Usually what happens is, they’ve got such a long neck with a little head on the end, when they die, they do the old bloat and float just like whale carcasses do,” he said.

“The head on the end of that neck is the first thing to fall off, if anything falls off.

“That means the fossils we find often don’t have a head, or are just partial bodies, and very rarely, we might find a head by itself without a body attached.”

Press PLAY below to hear why the fossil is being likened to the Rosetta Stone 

Images: Queensland Museum