Remains of 80mn-year-old marine reptiles discovered from terrain in Saudi Arabia

Turtle humerus

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project, and the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), the main authority in geological exploration and mapping of the kingdom, have partnered for one of the largest surveys of the Red Sea area. Findings from an initial 10-day dig, carried out by SGS palaeontologists, revealed several significant findings and areas of interest - including the bones of an enormous marine lizard over 80mn years old. The survey was the first step on a journey to uncover the rich history of the region and to provide geological research, data and expertise to assist with the design and construction process. The parties intend to continue their work together to identify unique geological attractions for tourism, establishing the Red Sea as a destination where visitors can discover Arabia’s rich natural history, according to a press statement. “The spirit of adventure has always been tied to the essence of discovery. Our destination is already home to the site of Saudi Arabia’s first underwater excavation, but above the water, we are now finding geological and palaeontological evidence of millions of years of activity in the region,” said John Pagano, CEO of TRSDC. “This partnership continues our commitment as a responsible developer to identifying, preserving, and displaying these natural treasures found right beneath our feet. Palaeontology is a growing area of study within the kingdom, and we are hoping to help support interest in discovering the ancient heritage buried along our coastline.” The excursion along the Red Sea coast, unearthed various samples spanning from the late Cretaceous to the Eocene period - roughly 80 to 45mn years ago. Approximately half of the sites surveyed produced rare fossils, with researchers expecting to discover many more on future digs. The findings represent the first recordof marine mammals from the Palaeogene period to be found in the Red Sea coastal area. Scientists exploring the AMAALA site uncovered numerous fossilised remains of sea-cows, crocodiles and turtles, as well as bones of mosasaurs, a family of giant marine lizards commonly referred to as ‘The T-Rex of the Sea’ that existed between 80mn and 66mn years ago and reached up to 18m in length and 14 tonnes in weight. Amaala is a land and property mega-project currently in development in Saudi Arabia, and forms part of the Saudi Vision 2030 programme. Several marine vertebrates found by the team were recorded for the very first time in the area – including remains of one of the largest turtles to have ever inhabited the region. These findings come in addition to a prior discovery of a partial plesiosaur skull recovered from the site. Additional discoveries from younger sedimentary beds emerged during this phase of geological exploration in the area include vertebrate and invertebrate faunal assemblages of marine crocodiles and turtle bones, and massive colonies of coral reef barriers. This new information shows us that 20 to16mn years ago the Red Sea depth was 200m above today’s actual sea level, and the seawater encroached and flooded deep inland by approximately 100km over time. In addition to palaeontological findings, researchers identified signs of prehistoric human activity among the rocks of the crystalline basement at The Red Sea Project. These signs were in the form of prehistoric rock art thought to be petroglyphs produced by an ancient civilisation yet to be identified. Mosasaurs are a family of giant marine lizards commonly referred to as ‘The T-Rex of the Sea’.