The remains of a prehistoric reptile have been found near a southern Alberta mine.
Workers at Korite International found the mosasaur fossil, which dates back nearly 74 million years.
The mosasaur was once called the t-rex of the ocean based on its size and predatory nature.
A team of technicians from the Royal Tyrell Museum have been working to unearth the bones and paleontologist Donald Henderson said it was a near perfect specimen.
"The detail in the bone is absolutely amazing," he told CTV News,
"The only thing that works against us was what happened in the past.
"This thing has clearly been scavenged by a shark. We already found some teeth and the body's been pulled apart quite a bit.
"If this thing had been left alone quietly going to the sea bed it would be perfect," he added.
The reptile was about four meters long with flippers, a large head and sharp teeth.
"One of the things we know is this animal is much lower, deeper in the ground than previous finds. So that means it's older and it will give us an idea of how these things evolved," Henderson explained.
This is the second mosasaur to be found at this mine site.
The animals were common in the area where the arctic sea wave extended from the Arctic Ocean into what is now the Gulf of Mexico.
The fossils will be sent to Drumheller for further study although technicians said it was unlikely to be put on display at the museum because it had been scavenged.
With files from Darrell Romuld
