Father and son discover fossilized ichthyosaur skull in B.C.’s Kiskatinaw River valley

The fossilized skull of a marine reptile called an ichthyosaur is being studied after it was found in the Kiskatine River Valley in British Columbia, about 52 kilometers south of Fort St. John.

Local resident Kevin Geist and his 11-year-old son Andreas discovered the skull two summers ago after noticing a strange black rock along a river shoreline in the fossil-rich Peace region.

The Kiskatino River fell to record low after four years of droughtwhich means more rocks are exposed there. In this case, one of these rocks contained a prehistoric skull.

“It wasn't in the water. And that's why some of these things are surfacing now because unfortunately we're in a drought situation,” Geist said. “Many of the rocks are more exposed than before.”

Geist wasn't sure what kind of stone it was at first, and didn't initially think it was that big of a deal.

Returning this summer to check on the stone, Geist's sister-in-law Diana Hofmann sent photographs of it to Tumbler Ridge Museum.

“They showed a lot of interest and that made it exciting,” Geist added.

The Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation has confirmed that it is an ichthyosaur.

Ichthyosaurs are not dinosaurs, but marine reptiles. A cross between a dolphin and a fish, they were completely adapted to the aquatic environment, giving birth in the ocean.

The ichthyosaur is believed to have died during the Triassic period, explained Eamon Drysdale, the museum's resident paleontologist.

But Drysdale says the river valley arose during the Cretaceous period, a time when ichthyosaurs would have gone extinct, meaning the placement of the skull is unusual.

The skull lived in a shallow sea that covered BC more than 250 million years ago, and was encased in Triassic carbonate rock and was most likely thrown into a river valley by a glacier after the formation of the Rocky Mountains.

“It’s been quite a journey,” Drysdale said of the skull.

Fossils in the Peace region of northeast AD may date back as far as 500 million years ago, Drysdale noted, and span a significant portion of Earth's history.

“We have such a diversity of fossils,” he added.

“And for people who are just in the area looking for things or just wandering around enjoying, frankly, the very beautiful nature that we have, it’s interesting that you find specimens and fossils from so many different time periods.”

Fossil-rich area

The Peace region is rich in fossils and many discoveries have been made here, including dinosaur bones, footprints and other prehistoric life.

The Tumbler Ridge UNESCO World Heritage Site includes exhibits and trails showcasing some of these discoveries.

Drysdale says it's hard to tell if there's anything else like the ichthyosaur skull in the valley because it arrived by glacier, but there's a chance low water levels could expose other rocks containing fossils.

“We have not explored much of this area at this time, but I would not be surprised if fossil material is found there,” Drysdale said in an email.

To securely secure the skull, it was transported by helicopter to the back of a pickup truck and then taken to the museum.

Other partial specimens of ichthyosaurs have been discovered at Tumbler Ridge in the mountainous areas, but these are mostly pieces of vertebrae and some skull material, Drysdale noted.

He added that it is difficult to find a complete specimen, noting that the best example from the Peace region is Shonisaurus, another marine reptile from the Triassic. It was removed from the Sikanni Chief River in 2001.

Drysdale says the restoration was a community effort, starting with the Geist family.

“We are a small local museum. So a lot of our fossil reports and fossil finds are from local people,” Drysdale said.

“Everyone was great. We had a great time and are very excited to see what this specimen can tell us.”