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| Alberta's Badlands and Dinosaur Hunting Grounds |
Its fossil beds are a window into the Mesozoic, showcasing a dazzling array of ancient life from the Late Cretaceous.
From the thunderous footsteps of Tyrannosaurus rex to the intricate frills of Styracosaurus, Alberta’s badlands are a treasure trove of discovery that has fascinated paleontologists for over a century.
The story of Alberta's dinosaurs begins in the late 19th century. In 1884, geologist Joseph Burr Tyrrell stumbled upon the skull of a carnivorous dinosaur while surveying coal seams near Red Deer River.
This skull belonged to Albertosaurus sarcophagus, a relative of T. rex—and marked the first significant dinosaur discovery in what is now Dinosaur Provincial Park.
By the early 20th century, Alberta had caught the attention of fossil hunters worldwide. Between 1910 and 1917, the American Museum of Natural History sent Charles H. Sternberg and his sons to excavate Alberta’s badlands.
Charles Hazelius Sternberg was a legendary fossil hunter and one of the most important figures in Alberta’s early paleontological history. Born in 1850 in Kansas, Sternberg began collecting fossils in the American West before being hired by the American Museum of Natural History to excavate in Canada.
From 1910 to 1917, he and his three sons worked extensively in Alberta’s badlands, unearthing thousands of dinosaur fossils from the Belly River Group and other Cretaceous formations. He was a paleo legend and, by all accounts, the world's best dad!
Their discoveries included spectacular specimens of ceratopsians like Centrosaurus and hadrosaurs like Corythosaurus. Sternberg’s work helped establish Alberta as a global hotspot for dinosaur research, and his passion for fossils is reflected in his memoir, The Life of a Fossil Hunter (1909), which remains a classic of paleontological literature.
Their expeditions yielded thousands of fossil specimens, including ceratopsians like Centrosaurus and Chasmosaurus, and duck-billed hadrosaurs such as Lambeosaurus and Corythosaurus.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dinosaur Provincial Park is one of the most productive fossil sites in the world. Over 50 species of dinosaurs have been found here, dating from around 76 to 74 million years ago during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous.
The park preserves part of the ancient floodplain of the Western Interior Seaway, a vast inland sea that once split North America in two. The mix of river channels, swamps, and coastal habitats created ideal conditions for fossil preservation.
Famous finds from the park include:
- Gorgosaurus libratus – A fearsome tyrannosaurid predator
- Parasaurolophus walkeri – Known for its stunning cranial crest
- Styracosaurus albertensis – A ceratopsian with magnificent spiked frills
Alberta continues to yield spectacular discoveries. In 2020, a new species of meat-eating dinosaur was unveiled: Thanatotheristes degrootorum, nicknamed the “Reaper of Death.” Discovered by John De Groot along the Bow River, this tyrannosaur roamed Alberta about 79 million years ago—making it the oldest known tyrannosaurid from Canada.
Another remarkable find came in 2011 near Fort McMurray: the best-preserved armored dinosaur ever found, Borealopelta markmitchelli. This nodosaur, discovered by workers in the Suncor Millennium Mine, was so well preserved that its skin, scales, and even possible pigmentation patterns remain visible. The fossil is now housed at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller and has revolutionized our understanding of dinosaur defense and coloration.
In 2022, a new species of dome-headed pachycephalosaur, Acrotholus audeti, was described from southern Alberta. It revealed that these head-butting herbivores were more diverse and common than previously thought.
If you're captivated by Alberta's prehistoric past, you’re in luck—there are several world-class institutions where you can see these giants up close:
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (Drumheller)
- Home to over 160,000 fossil specimens, the museum showcases Alberta’s dinosaur heritage with life-sized displays, fossil labs, and immersive exhibits.
Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum (Wembley)
- Named after the renowned Canadian paleontologist Philip Currie, this museum focuses on the Grande Prairie region’s dinosaur discoveries, including those from the Wapiti Formation.
University of Alberta Paleontology Museum (Edmonton)
- Located on campus, this museum features a wide array of fossil vertebrates and invertebrates, and often highlights ongoing research from U of A scientists.
Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre
- Located within the fossil-rich badlands, this center offers interpretive displays and guided hikes to real fossil beds.
Many of Alberta’s groundbreaking discoveries are thanks to Canadian researchers like:
- Philip J. Currie, whose work on tyrannosaurs, especially Albertosaurus, has reshaped our understanding of predator behavior.
- Darla Zelenitsky, whose research on dinosaur reproduction, eggs, and nesting behavior continues to uncover intimate details of prehistoric life.
- François Therrien, a curator at the Royal Tyrrell Museum specializing in carnivorous dinosaur paleoecology.
Alberta's unique geological history, its rich fossiliferous formations—like the Dinosaur Park, Horseshoe Canyon, and Wapiti formations—and a legacy of active fieldwork and public engagement have made it a global hotspot for dinosaur discovery. Whether you're walking the trails of Dinosaur Provincial Park or marveling at life-sized skeletons in the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Alberta offers a front-row seat to the age of dinosaurs.
Fancy a read? Check out these Scientific Papers on some of the research being done:
Currie, P. J. (2003). Allosaurus, Saurophaganax, and other large theropods of the Morrison Formation. In The Carnivorous Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press.
Zelenitsky, D. K., & Therrien, F. (2008). “Oviraptorosaur dinosaurs from Alberta, Canada: Nesting behavior and diversity.” Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28(3), 636-651.
Brown, C. M., Henderson, D. M., Vinther, J., Fletcher, I., Sistiaga, A., Herrera, J., & Summons, R. E. (2017). “An exceptionally preserved three-dimensional armored dinosaur reveals insights into coloration and biology.” Current Biology, 27(16), 2514–2521.e3.
Voris, J. T., Zelenitsky, D. K., Therrien, F., & Brown, C. M. (2020). “A new tyrannosaurine (Theropoda: Tyrannosauridae) from the Campanian Foremost Formation of Alberta, Canada.” Cretaceous Research, 110, 104388.
Evans, D. C., Ryan, M. J., & Anderson, J. S. (2013). “A new basal pachycephalosaurid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Oldman Formation, Alberta, Canada.” Nature Communications, 4, 1828.
