Courtesy of SFU Research

By Veronica Beltran

researchers say dragonfly fossils are rare

50 million-year-old dragonfly fossils from BC identified and named

Nov 11, 2019 | 8:52 AM

VANCOUVER–Researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU) say that six dragonfly species dating back to around 50 million years ago are the first from BC and Washington to receive names.

Paleontologist Bruce Archibald from SFU and dragonfly expert Robert Cannings of the Royal BC Museum examined nine rare dragonfly fossils from the McAbee fossil site in BC. Their findings showed that the fossils represent eight unknown species, six of which were well enough preserved to be given scientific names.

Courtesy of SFU Research

According to Archibald the dragonfly’s would not look out of place flying next to a modern pond.

Courtesy of SFU Research

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One of the species resembles a similar fossil from Denmark, which Archibald says he doesn’t find surprising saying that North America and Europe were, at the time connected through continual land across Greenland. According to both Cannings and Archibald dragonfly fossils are a true rarity.