"Discovery of Unktaheela specta: Ancient Marine Predator in American Midwest"

Researchers have discovered a new species of ancient marine predator, Unktaheela specta, a polycotylid plesiosaur that roamed the American Midwest 80 million years ago. This finding has led to the identification of a previously unrecognized subgroup within the plesiosaur family, named Dolichorhynchia. Unktaheela, the smallest known polycotylid, had predatory adaptations and a visual hunting strategy similar to predatory birds. The fossils were discovered in the Late Cretaceous Sharon Springs Formation, offering insight into the evolutionary relationships and reproductive strategies of marine reptiles during the Cretaceous period.