First scientific reference to a marine reptile

According to Official Guinness Records,

The earliest written reference to a prehistoric marine reptile appeared in 1719, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions. It was written by Dr William Stukely, a scholar and antiquarian, who described the partial remains of what was later shown to be a fossil plesiosaur that had been found in Nottinghamshire, England.
Stukely presented its remains to the Royal Society, and they are now housed at the British Museum (Natural History).

For a complete list of 1719 records, please visit 1719 Guinness Records in United Kingdom.

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