Nakonanectes bradti was named by Serratos et al. (2017) [Nakonanectes bradti is a small-bodied (estimated 5.1–5.6 m long) elasmosaurid plesiosaurian (sensu Benson and Druckenmiller, 2014) with a proportionally short snout and short neck (39–42 cervical vertebrae), possessing the following autapomorphies that are unique among elasmosaurids: reduced, cordate external naris; prominent posteroventral process of maxilla projects ventral to the temporal bar and contacts squamosal posteriorly (this contact may also be present in ‘Libonectes’ atlasense [S. Sachs, pers. comm., September 2016], although this is difficult to confirm from our notes on the type specimen, which is poorly preserved in this region); posterior surface of ventral plate of basioccipital slopes anteroventrally; median contact of pterygoids posterior to posterior interpterygoid vacuity is anteroposteriorly short, revealing most of the ventral surface of the basioccipital in ventral view; posterolateral pterygoid lappet absent; deep anteroposteriorly oriented cleft in articular posterior to mandibular glenoid fossa; and small articular facets for preaxial accessory ossicles of the hind limb. Nakonanectes bradti can further be diagnosed on the following unique character combinations: relatively short rostrum, with ratio of preorbital skull length to total skull length of 0.33; absence of a mandibular keel on the ventral surface of the symphysis; dorsomedially oriented premaxilla-maxilla suture; postfrontal participation in both the orbital and temporal margins; postorbital extends half the length of the ventral margin of the supratemporal fenestra; pineal slit level with postorbital bar; supraoccipital that is taller dorsoventrally than wide anteroposteriorly in lateral view; lateral surface of coronoid process composed of dentary only; absence of lateral longitudinal ridge of the cervical vertebrae; lateral expansion of intercoracoid vacuity; and dorsal expansion of ilia twice the anteroposterior width of the midshaft.]. Its type specimen is MOR 3072, a partial skeleton (including a complete skull, articulated anterior 23 cervical vertebrae, dorsal and anterior caudal vertebrae, partial coracoids, much of the forelimbs including), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Nakonanectes-type locality, which is in a Maastrichtian marine horizon in the Bearpaw Shale Formation of Montana.