Plesiosaur fossil found at Syncrude mining site in northern Alberta

The oldest Cretaceous plesiosaur fossil ever found in Alberta has been discovered at Syncrude's Mildred Lake Mine site, the company says. The discovery was made on March 12 by a hydraulic shovel operator. Jenna Plamondon, a 16-year employee, spotted a contrast in the oil sand during her shift that day. “I kept staring at this little chunk of dirt. As a shovel operator, we're trained to see things that are out of the ordinary," Plamondon said in a written statement on the company's website.