Palaeontology in Canada
When it comes to palaeontology, Canada never falls short. With several palaeontological UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Canada has a lot to offer for any keen fossil enthusiast.
Museums
[edit]- 1 Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta.
- 2 Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario.
- 3 T.rex Discovery Centre, Eastend, Southwestern Saskatchewan. Home to what is believed to be the world's largest and oldest T-rex.
- 4 Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Morden, Manitoba. Contains a large collection of marine reptile fossils. The centre houses the world's largest publicly exhibited mosasaur of the species Tylosaurus pembinensis.
Sites
[edit]- 1 Dinosaur Provincial Park, near Brooks, in Southern Alberta. .It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the 58 unique dinosaur species have been discovered at the park and for its badlands landscape. It's one of only eleven palaeontological UNESCO World Heritage Sites (as of 2021) in the world.
- 2 Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, on the Avalon Peninsula in Eastern Newfoundland. A UNESCO World Heritage Site home to some of the world's oldest fossils from the Ediacaran era, about 550 million years ago. Seeing the fossil site can be done via a tour.
- 3 Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Joggins, Nova Scotia. These fossil cliffs have fossil cliffs dating back to more than 310 million years. Near the cliffs is a fossil centre, where there are guided tours.
- 4 Yoho National Park, in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. The Burgess Shale Formation in this park contains some fossilized remains of many marine animal species and where impressively preserved ancient undersea creatures give hints about the nature of life.
- 5 Miguasha National Park, on the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec. The park is considered to be the world's greatest palaeontological record of fossils from the Devonian Period, known as the 'Age of Fishes'. Five of the six main fossil fish groups from this period (dating from 370 million years ago) can be found here.
See also
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