B.C. confirms 80-million-year-old elasmosaur as its official fossil emblem

British Columbia has officially designated a large, fierce-looking marine reptile that lived 80 million years ago as the province's official fossil emblem.

The government adopted the long-necked, sharp-toothed 12-metre elasmosaur as the emblem on Thursday, adding to the list of provincial symbols.

The designation follows a five-year recognition effort by paleontology enthusiasts and a provincewide public poll in 2018, in which the elasmosaur received 48 per cent of the vote.

Tourism Minister Lana Popham saidin a statement the elasmosaur designation raises awareness that B.C. has a fossil heritage worthy of celebration and stewardship.

The first elasmosaur fossil was discovered in 1988, along the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island, marking the first fossil of its kind found west of the Canadian Rockies.

The elasmosaur lived along what is now the coast of B.C.dating back to the Cretaceous period.

Other official provincial emblems include the Pacific dogwood, Steller's jay, spirit bear, Pacific salmon, jade and the western red cedar.