VICTORIA ARBOUR: ARMOURED GIANTS, ANCIENT ECOSYSTEMS AND CUTTING EDGE CANADIAN PALEONTOLOGY

Dr. Victoria Arbour

Dr. Victoria Arbour, Curator of Paleontology at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, is one of Canada’s foremost vertebrate paleontologists. 

Specializing in ankylosaurs—the club-tailed, heavily armored dinosaurs of the Cretaceous—Arbour has become a leading voice in both the scientific community and the public eye, reshaping how we understand dinosaur evolution, biomechanics, and paleobiogeography. 

Her research bridges detailed anatomical study with innovative technologies, yielding groundbreaking discoveries about how these ancient creatures lived, fought, and evolved. Charmingly humble and unassuming, she is a delight in the field and in front of the lens.

Victoria Arbour completed her Ph.D. at the University of Alberta under the supervision of renowned paleontologist Dr. Philip Currie. Her early work focused on ankylosaurid dinosaurs, particularly the tail club structures that define the group. 

Her doctoral thesis and subsequent studies dissected the biomechanics of ankylosaur tail clubs, demonstrating that these dinosaurs likely used their tails as active weapons—a concept that was previously more speculative than evidenced.

In one of her early papers, Arbour and Currie (2011) reconstructed the tail club’s structure and function using finite element analysis and compared it to weapon systems in modern animals. Her work helped establish ankylosaurs as more than passive tanks; they were dynamic animals capable of delivering powerful, bone-breaking blows to rivals or predators.

New Dinosaurs for a New Generation

Among Arbour’s most significant contributions are the descriptions and naming of several new species of ankylosaurs, including:

Zuul crurivastator (2017): Arbour co-authored the paper describing Zuul, a remarkably complete ankylosaur fossil from Montana. Named after the Ghostbusters monster, Zuul is preserved with intact skin impressions and tail club spikes. The species name, crurivastator, means "destroyer of shins"—a nod to its powerful tail weapon. The find gave paleontologists unprecedented insight into ankylosaur soft tissue, armor arrangement, and injury patterns.

Ziapelta sanjuanensis (2014): As lead author, Arbour described this ankylosaur from New Mexico, expanding the known diversity of North American ankylosaurs and underscoring biogeographic connections between Canada and the southwestern United States during the Late Cretaceous.

British Columbia’s Dinosaur Heritage

As Curator at the Royal BC Museum, Arbour plays a critical role in paleontology in British Columbia—a province better known for marine reptiles than for terrestrial dinosaurs. Nevertheless, her work has amplified interest in BC’s unique fossil heritage, from the ichthyosaurs of the Peace Region to marine reptiles like the Courtenay Elasmosaur.

Arbour has partnered with local scientists and citizen paleontologists to help elevate BC’s presence on the paleontological map. She has advocated for fossil protection legislation and regularly engages with the public through museum exhibits, interviews, and school outreach.

Technology Meets Deep Time

Arbour is also part of a wave of paleontologists bringing high-tech tools to ancient bones. She frequently uses 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and CT imaging to study fossils in unprecedented detail. These methods allow her to reconstruct the internal anatomy of ankylosaurs, visualize muscle attachment points, and model how these creatures moved and fought.

In her 2020 publication with Mallon and Evans, Arbour examined the distribution of ankylosaur fossils across North America and evaluated their evolutionary history. 

Using phylogenetic methods and morphometric analyses, she tracked how isolation and habitat shifts influenced ankylosaur evolution—helping explain why Canada’s ankylosaurs were different from those in the southern U.S.

Champion of Public Science

Beyond her research, Arbour is a passionate advocate for science communication and equity in paleontology. Her Twitter feed, popular talks, and media appearances make complex science accessible and fun. She has written popular articles for The Conversation, participated in CBC’s Quirks & Quarks, and is a familiar face in science outreach events across Canada.

She is a very engaging speaker. For those who joined us for Arbour's engaging talk to the Vancouver Paleontological Society and members of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance on her fieldwork at the Carbon Creek Basin Dinosaur Trackway—and so many others—will be pleased to hear that she will be delivering a talk on her most recent work at this 15th BCPA Symposium in Courtenay, August 22-25, 2025. 

The Carbon Creek Basin site is located just west of Hudson’s Hope in the Peace River area and boasts nearly 1,200 dinosaur tracks from at least 12 different types of dinosaurs—including two dinosaur track types that have not been observed at any other site in the Peace Region. Her talk showcased her work and her spirit in the field—coated in mud, dust and battling blackflies, but smiling through it all in the thrill of discovery.

Her mentorship of young scientists and support for women and underrepresented groups in science has made her a role model in the field. 

Dr. Victoria Arbour’s work continues to deepen our understanding of how dinosaurs lived and interacted in their environments. Her contributions are a testament to the power of curiosity, perseverance, and scientific rigor. In the layered rocks of Alberta and the museum halls of Victoria, her legacy is already well-anchored—and growing with every new discovery.

Here are some key scientific papers authored or co-authored by Dr. Victoria Arbour:

Arbour, V. M., & Currie, P. J. (2011). Ankylosaurid dinosaur tail clubs evolved through stepwise acquisition of key features. Journal of Anatomy, 219(6), 672–685. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2011.01437.x

Arbour, V. M., Zanno, L. E., & Evans, D. C. (2014). A new ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Montana, USA, based on a complete skull and tail club. Royal Society Open Science, 4(5): 161086. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.161086

Arbour, V. M., & Evans, D. C. (2017). A new ankylosaurine dinosaur from the Judith River Formation of Montana, USA, based on a complete skull and tail club. Royal Society Open Science, 4: 161086. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.161086

Brown, C. M., Henderson, D. M., Vinther, J., Fletcher, I., Sistiaga, A., Herrera, J., & Arbour, V. M. (2017). An exceptionally preserved armored dinosaur reveals the morphology and allometry of keratinous structures. Current Biology, 27(16), 2514–2521.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.071

Arbour, V. M., & Evans, D. C. (2020). A new ankylosaurine dinosaur from the Judith River Formation, Montana, USA, and implications for the diversification and biogeography of Late Cretaceous ankylosaurs. PeerJ, 8:e9603. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9603

Arbour, V. M., & Currie, P. J. (2013). Anatomy, evolution, and function of tail clubbing in ankylosaurs (Dinosauria: Ornithischia). Journal of Zoology, 292(2), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12033

15TH BCPA PALEONTOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM: COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA

SAVE THE DATE: 15th British Columbia Paleontological Symposium

Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay, British Columbia, on the Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, August 22-25, 2025

CELEBRATING THE PALEONTOLOGICAL BOUNTY OF THE COMOX VALLEY

The conference features over a dozen speakers in paleontology from Vancouver Island, mainland British Columbia, and beyond. 

This year, we’re celebrating Courtenay’s own Traskasaura sandrae—a 12-metre-long marine elasmosaur discovered by Mike Trask along the Puntledge River. The fossil was recently named in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology, earning international recognition.

Traskasaura sandrae is a newly identified genus and species of elasmosaurid plesiosaur, a long-necked marine reptile, discovered in British Columbia, Canada. 

The fossil, found along the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island, are from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian age), roughly 86 to 84 million years ago. Traskasaura sandrae is notable for its robust teeth, potentially adapted for crushing ammonites, and a unique mix of primitive and derived skeletal features, suggesting it was a powerful predator adapted for diving. 

As well as highlighting this significant find and honouring the amazing life of Mike Trask, the symposium has an exciting lineup of scientific presentations, hands-on workshops, a paleontology-themed art exhibition, poster presentations, and guided field trips. 

These events provide exciting opportunities to explore and celebrate the rich geological and paleontological history of Vancouver Island, bringing together world-renowned paleontologists, citizen scientists, fossil enthusiasts, researchers, artists, and the public in a vibrant exchange of ideas and inspiration.

Our Keynote Speaker is Dr. Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, where he oversees the world's largest natural history collection. 

As a field paleontologist, he has led expeditions in eighteen US states and eleven countries with a research focus on fossil plants and the extinction of the dinosaurs. He is known for his scientific articles, popular books, museum exhibitions, documentaries, and collaborations with artists.

BRITISH COLUMBIA PALEONTOLOGICAL ALLIANCE (BCPA)

The British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA) is a collaborative network of organisations led by professional and citizen scientists, working to advance the science of paleontology in the province. 

Together, they promote fossil research and discovery through public education, responsible scientific collecting, and open communication among paleontologists, citizen scientists, fossil enthusiasts, researchers, and educators.

Every two years, the BCPA hosts a Paleontological Symposium, bringing together experts and the public from across Canada, North America, and beyond to share the latest research and discoveries related to British Columbia's fossil heritage.  To learn more, visit www.bcfossils.ca.

VANCOUVER ISLAND PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY (HOST ORGANIZATION):

This year, the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society (VIPS) is proud to host the 15th BCPA Symposium in Courtenay, in partnership with the Courtenay and District Museum & Palaeontology Centre. 

Founded in 1992 and based in the Comox Valley, VIPS is a nonprofit society with charitable status in good standing dedicated to fostering public engagement with the natural world through field trips, workshops, symposia, and public lectures that bring science to life for the community. 

COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP, SILENT AUCTION ITEMS & WELCOME BAGS: 

As host, the VIPS is currently welcoming sponsorship contributions and donations for the symposium's silent auction to help us offset conference costs, including printing, venue rental, catering, insurance, and participant support. We are also seeking items to include in our Welcome Bags for conference attendees, offering an excellent opportunity to showcase local businesses and community spirit. 

Sponsors will be publicly recognised at the conference, within the Courtenay and District Museum, and across our social media platforms. Tax receipts are available for eligible donations.

Sponsorship cheques made out to the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society can be mailed to 930 Sandpines Drive, Comox, BC, V9M 3V3. Attn: 15th BCPA Symposium 2025.

We would be honoured to have your support—your contribution would bring meaningful value to this exciting scientific event. If you have an item to donate to our silent auction or to include in our Welcome Bags, we would be sincerely grateful and can arrange for convenient pickup. 

To get involved or learn more, please contact us at bcpaleo.events@gmail.com—we’d love to hear from you! 

Warm regards on behalf of the 15th BCPA Organising Committee.

ALBERTA'S PREHISTORIC GIANTS: THE DINOSAURS

Alberta's Badlands and Dinosaur Hunting Grounds

Alberta, Canada, is one of the most dinosaur-rich places on Earth. 

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.

TOP 10 FAMOUS CANADIAN FOSSIL FINDS

Canada, with its vast and varied landscapes, is a treasure trove of prehistoric wonders. 

From towering tyrannosaurs to exquisitely preserved marine creatures, the fossil record here is not only rich—it’s legendary. 

It is hard to choose our best fossils as there are so many. I have my personal favorites, some found by me, some by good friends and others that rank high simply by my having the good fortune to be there at the moment of discovery. 

These ten fossils stand out not only for their scientific value but also for the astonishing stories they tell about life on ancient Earth. Whether entombed in the Rocky Mountains, buried beneath Arctic permafrost, or hidden in coastal cliffs, each discovery shines a light on a world lost to time.

Honorable mentions are many for a list of this type. Dave Rudkin's find of the Isotelus rex, the largest known trilobite definitely ranks. There are some very fetching crabs and ammonites who deserve mention. As does the First Record of an Oligocene Chimaeroid Fish (Ratfish) Egg Capsule from Vancouver Island . 

The isopod found by the deeply awesome Betty Franklin that is getting ready for publication by Torrey Nyborg is another superb example and makes my personal list. He also has an unexpected fossil lobster in the cue to write up that I found in the South Chilcotin many moons ago, so I will add that here to remind him! 

On that note, Dr. Dave Evans has a paper in the works on the first dinosaur from Vancouver Island found by our own Mike Trask that will hopefully be out soon. There is a new paper by Phil Currie et al. on the fossil fauna from the Eager Formation near Cranbrook that bears mentioning as well as the work being done by Chris Jenkins, Chris New with Brian Chatterton on the Upper Cambrian fauna near there. We can add all the finds from Tumbler Ridge, Wapiti Lake and Miguasha National Park as well.

Oh, so many options!     

So, this is by no means a complete list, but if you are wanting to check out the fossil bounty that Canada has to offer, it is a wonderful place to start!

1. Scotty the T. rex (Saskatchewan)

Discovered in 1991 near Eastend, Saskatchewan, Scotty is the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found in Canada—and one of the oldest individuals known of its species. Weighing an estimated 8,800 kg and measuring over 13 meters, Scotty was a bruiser of a predator. The fossil is housed at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.

Reference: Funston, G. F., Currie, P. J., & Persons, W. S. IV. (2019). An older and exceptional specimen of Tyrannosaurus rex.

2. The Burgess Shale Fauna (British Columbia)

This World Heritage Site near Field, BC, offers a snapshot of the Cambrian Explosion (~508 million years ago), preserving soft-bodied creatures with extraordinary detail. Marrella, Opabinia, and Anomalocaris are just a few of the iconic oddballs discovered here by Charles Walcott in 1909. The site reshaped our understanding of early animal evolution. The fossils from this site have the most wonderous, albeit wacky, body plans see the world over!

Reference: Conway Morris, S. (1986). The community structure of the Middle Cambrian phyllopod bed (Burgess Shale). Paleontology, 29(3).

3. The Courtenay Elasmosaur (British Columbia)

Unearthed by my good friend Mike Trask along the Puntledge River in 1988, this long-necked marine reptile from the Late Cretaceous is one of BC’s most famous fossils—and its first major marine reptile discovery. Now housed at the Courtenay and District Museum, it inspired a new wave of paleontological exploration on Vancouver Island. 

Mike gets the credit for this find and the founding of the first paleontological society in British Columbia (VIPS), the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance (BCPA) and inspired us all with his incredible curiosity and zest for life. He passed earlier this year and is incredibly missed!

Reference: Arbour, V. M., & Trask, M. (2023). A new elasmosaurid from the Late Cretaceous of British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences.

4. Dakota the Dinosaur Mummy (Alberta)

This extraordinary hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus annectens) found in 1999 features fossilized skin and soft tissue impressions. While partially excavated in North Dakota, it crossed into Canadian paleontological territory through the collaborative work between Canadian and American scientists. The mummy-like preservation gives unique insight into dinosaur musculature and skin texture.

Reference: Manning, P. L., et al. (2009). Mineralized soft-tissue structure and chemistry in a mummified hadrosaur. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

5. Zuul crurivastator (Alberta)

Discovered in 2014 in Montana but now part of the Royal Ontario Museum collection due to fossil trade agreements, Zuul is an astonishingly complete ankylosaur with preserved skin and tail club armor. Named after the Ghostbusters demon-dog, it’s as fierce as it is beautifully preserved.

Reference: Arbour, V. M., & Evans, D. C. (2017). A new ankylosaurid with exceptional soft-tissue preservation. Royal Society Open Science, 4(5).

6. Tiktaalik roseae (Nunavut)

Found on Ellesmere Island in 2004, Tiktaalik bridges the gap between fish and land vertebrates. With its fish-like body and amphibian-style neck and limbs, it's a critical fossil in understanding the water-to-land transition in vertebrate evolution.

Reference: Daeschler, E. B., Shubin, N. H., & Jenkins, F. A. (2006). A Devonian tetrapod-like fish and the evolution of the tetrapod body plan. Nature, 440.

If you have not had the pleasure, also pick up a copy of Shubin's book, Your Inner Fish. It is a classic read with the amazing tale of this fossil's discovery and Shubin's journey in paleontology. 

7. Nodosaur from the Suncor Mine (Alberta)

In 2011, miners at a Fort McMurray oilsands site uncovered the best-preserved armored dinosaur ever found. The 110-million-year-old nodosaur is so well-preserved it looks like a sleeping dragon, with skin impressions, armor, and even stomach contents intact.

Reference: Brown, C. M., & Demarco, N. (2017). The rise of fossil preservation in Alberta’s oil sands. National Geographic, May Issue.

8. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Nova Scotia)

These coastal cliffs reveal the Carboniferous "Coal Age" (circa 310 million years ago) with fossilized trees, trackways, and even the oldest known reptile, Hylonomus lyelli. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Joggins provides unparalleled insight into early terrestrial ecosystems.

Reference: Carroll, R. L. (1964). The earliest reptiles. Journal of Paleontology, 38(1).

9. Parksosaurus (Alberta)

One of the lesser-known but scientifically significant dinosaurs from Alberta, Parksosaurus was a small, agile herbivore named after Canadian paleontologist William Parks. It contributes to our understanding of small ornithopods in the Late Cretaceous of North America.

Reference: Boyd, C. A. (2015). The systematic relationships and biogeographic history of ornithischian dinosaurs. Paleobiology, 41(3).

10. Blue Beach Fossils (Nova Scotia)

The Blue Beach site near Hantsport yields some of the oldest known tetrapod trackways in the world, from the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous period. These fossils document early vertebrate life coming onto land.

Reference: Mansky, C. F., & Lucas, S. G. (2013). A review of tetrapod trackways from Blue Beach. New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin, 61.

Canada’s fossil discoveries span more than half a billion years of life on Earth. They showcase evolutionary milestones—from the earliest invertebrates to apex dinosaurs, marine reptiles, and the first vertebrates on land. 

The fossils are the Rosetta stones of our country, unlocking the secrets of life's history.

FOSSIL HUNTRESS PODCAST

Close your eyes & fly with me as we head out together to explore Earth's rich history written in her rock. Travel to extraordinary places, sacred sites & unearth mysteries millions of years old on the Fossil Huntress Podcast.

This stream is for those who share an enduring passion for our world's hidden treasures, its wild places & want to uncover her beauty stone by stone. This is the story of the making of our Earth and the many wonderful creatures who have called it home. 

Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of palaeontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs.

​Learn about the interwoven disciplines of natural history, ecology, geology, conservation & stewardship of our world. To listen to the stories of the Earth, visit: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hH1wpDFFIlYC9ZW5uTYVL

FOSSIL HUNTRESS PODCAST: DEAD SEXY SCIENCE

Geeky goodness from the Fossil Huntress. If you love paleontology, you will love this stream. Dinosaurs, trilobites, ammonites—you'll find them all here!

Close your eyes & fly with me as we head out together to explore Earth's rich history written in her rock. Travel to extraordinary places, sacred sites & unearth mysteries millions of years old on the Fossil Huntress Podcast.

This stream is for those who share an enduring passion for our world's hidden treasures, its wild places & want to uncover her beauty stone by stone.

This is the story of the making of our Earth and the many wonderful creatures who have called it home.

Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of paleontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs. Save the stream to your favorites to listen while you drive, head out fossil collecting or snuggle in for the night!

​To listen now, visit: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hH1wpDFFIlYC9ZW5uTYVL

PALEONTOLOGY PODCAST: DEAD SEXY SCIENCE

Geeky goodness from the Fossil Huntress. If you love paleontology, you will love this stream. Dinosaurs, trilobites, ammonites—you'll find them all here!

Close your eyes & fly with me as we head out together to explore Earth's rich history written in her rock. Travel to extraordinary places, sacred sites & unearth mysteries millions of years old on the Fossil Huntress Podcast.

This stream is for those who share an enduring passion for our world's hidden treasures, its wild places & want to uncover her beauty stone by stone. This is the story of the making of our Earth and the many wonderful creatures who have called it home. 

Join in the exploration of the fascinating science of palaeontology — that lens that examines ancient animals, plants & ecosystems from wee single-celled organisms to big & mighty dinosaurs. Save the stream to your favourites to listen while you drive, head out fossil collecting or snuggle in for the night!

​To listen now, visit: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hH1wpDFFIlYC9ZW5uTYVL

SECRETS IN STONE: VANCOUVER ISLAND'S TRENT RIVER

Trent River, Vancouver Island, BC

Deep in the moss-draped forests of Vancouver Island, beneath a green canopy of second-growth firs and the distant chatter of ravens, an ancient story lies written in stone. 

You’ll find it not in dusty museums but in the riverbeds, sandstone ledges, and shale cliffs of the Trent River, just south of Courtenay, British Columbia. 

This is a place where geology meets adventure — and where fossil hunters walk through time.

This area has been collected and studied in large part due to the efforts of the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society (VIPS) and its members. 

These keen and knowledgeable citizen scientists have had a huge impact on our understanding of fossils in the region. 

The picture below taken on August 20, 2020, when we were all down on the Trent for the extraction of Baby E-a marine reptile found high up in the bank by Pat Trask. 

The Courtenay Museum hosts regular fossil tours here, led by Pat Trask. On one of those field trips back in 2017, Pat was leading a trip with a family and one of the field trip participants picked up a marine reptile finger bone. 

It was laying in the river having eroded out from a nearby cliff. She showed it to Pat and he immediately recognized it as being diagnostic — it definitely belonged to a marine reptile — possibly an elasmosaur — but what species and just where on the river it had eroded from were still a mystery. As more and more of these bits and pieces were discovered, a very tasty pattern was emerging. Somewhere here, embedded in stone and eroding out bit by bit was a mighty marine reptile. 

The excavation was the culmination of a three-year paleontological puzzle of various folk finding bits and pieces of the specimen but ever elusive, had been unable to locate the source. Time and perseverance won the day and that August morning we were on hand to bring that baby, aptly named Baby-E, out of the site and off to be prepped.

In the photo are VIPS members, James Wood, Betty Franklin, Dan Bowen and Jay Hawley. Each of their personal contributions to the paleontology of the Comox Valley, Vancouver Island and the Pacific Northwest are immense.

A Journey Across Oceans and Ages

The rocks that make up the Trent River landscape weren’t born here. In fact, they began their journey over 85 million years ago, far south of the equator as part of a scattered chain of tropical islands. 

These fragments, riding the massive Pacific Plate, drifted slowly across the ocean, eventually slamming into the western edge of the North American continent.

The Pacific Plate — the largest tectonic plate on Earth, covering over 103 million square kilometers — is a restless force. Fueled by volcanic activity at its spreading center, it continues to expand, pushing against the North American Plate and forcing the ocean floor beneath the continent in a process known as subduction. Over time, this relentless collision helped build the rugged mountains and rich geological complexity of British Columbia.

Among the remnants of those far-flung islands is the Insular Superterrane — a mash-up of crustal fragments welded onto the continent from the Late Cretaceous through the Eocene. This allochthonous (meaning "foreign") terrain is geologically distinct from the rest of the mainland. The rocks you walk on along the Trent River don’t match anything next door in Alberta or even down the road. They’re relics of a world long lost to time.

Fossils Beneath Your Feet

In the 1970s, pioneering geologists Jim Monger and Charlie Ross of the Geological Survey of Canada helped map the complex tectonic puzzle of the Comox Basin. Their work revealed that by 85 million years ago, the Insular Superterrane — and the rocks of the Trent River — had already collided with the mainland, forming part of what we now know as Vancouver Island.

Back then, this region was a lush, subtropical landscape. Fossilized leaves and wood found in the area show ancient relatives of oak, poplar, maple, ash — even figs and breadfruit — thrived here. These are the botanical echoes of the Late Cretaceous, preserved in the mudstones and sandstones along the riverbank.

As you follow the river upstream, you'll come to a striking boundary: the transition from the dark-grey marine shales of the Haslam Formation to the sandy, more terrestrial Comox Formation. This contact zone marks a shift from deep ocean to coastal plain, and both formations offer their own fossil treasures.

Ammonites, Turtles, and Dinosaurs — Oh My!

Head west from Trent River Falls and you’ll arrive at Ammonite Alley, where the shale of the Haslam Formation has yielded beautiful examples of Mesopuzosia and Kitchinites, coiled marine cephalopods that once swam in warm Cretaceous seas. This section represents the Polytychoceras vancouverense ammonite zone, a biostratigraphic marker dating back roughly 84 to 83 million years.

Further along, past slick algae-covered stones and twisting alder roots, the story shifts from ocean to land. Paleontologists have uncovered both marine and terrestrial fossil turtles here — including the rare helochelydrid Naomichelys speciosa, a stubby-limbed, tank-like land turtle that once lumbered through the Cretaceous underbrush.

Even more impressive is the discovery of hadrosauroid dinosaur vertebrae by awesome possum Mike Trask — the tailbone of a duck-billed herbivore that may have wandered the nearby floodplains. Nearby, in the fine-grained sediments of Idle Creek, fossilized leaves and logs still peek from the rock, offering tantalizing clues about the forest these creatures once called home.

And then there’s the ratfish — one of the most bizarre and enigmatic finds from the Trent. Fossils of Hydrolagus colliei, a modern-day chimaera species still living off the Pacific coast, have been found in the area. This particular specimen was a bruiser, larger than its modern kin and armed with disproportionately large eyes and unusual reproductive anatomy. As unappetizing to ancient predators as it is to us, this creature is a fascinating link between ancient and modern marine ecosystems.

Where the Ancient Meets the Present

The Trent River is just one piece of a larger fossil-rich puzzle that includes nearby rivers like the Puntledge, also known for its fossil finds — including marine turtles such as Desmatochelys, as detailed in a 1992 paper by paleontologist Elizabeth Nicholls. 

The Puntledge is significant to the K'ómoks First Nation, who have lived in this region since Time Immemorial and know the river by many names from the Puntledge, Sahtloot, Sasitla, and Ieeksun.

Today, fossil hunters — amateur and professional alike — can follow the rivers through time, discovering clues to a vastly different world hidden in the layers beneath their boots.

Planning Your Adventure

If you're ready to explore the paleontological wonders of the Trent River, head about three kilometres south of Courtenay along Highway 19. Look for a safe pull-off just south of the Cumberland Interchange. A trail leads from the highway beneath the bridge, bringing you to the river’s north bank. From here, the journey unfolds — a mix of scrambling, creek-walking, and sharp-eyed searching that can reveal fossils untouched for millions of years.

To head out on a guided tour of the river, visit the Courtenay Museum website and book in with Pat Trask to take you there, share the river's paleontological history and how to find fossils.

Remember: fossil collection is regulated, so always check local rules and never remove fossils from protected sites. In British Columbia, fossils belong to the province. If you find a fossil, you become its steward, noting where you found it and keeping it safe. Sharing your fossil finds with local paleontological societies and museums helps us to know what has been found and let's you know if that find is significant. If it is a new species, it might even be named after you!

The Trent River reminds us that adventure doesn’t always mean scaling peaks or paddling rapids. Sometimes, it’s found in quiet moments along a riverside, where the moss is thick, the rocks are ancient, and time itself feels close enough to touch.

AVES: LIVING DINOSAURS

Cassowary, Casuariiformes

Wherever you are in the world, it is likely that you know your local birds. True, you may call them des Oiseaux, pássaros or uccelli — but you'll know their common names by heart.

You will also likely know their sounds. The tweets, chirps, hoots and caws of the species living in your backyard.

Birds come in all shapes and sizes and their brethren blanket the globe. It is amazing to think that they all sprang from the same lineage given the sheer variety. 

If you picture them, we have such a variety on the planet — parrots, finches, wee hummingbirds, long-legged waterbirds, waddling penguins and showy toucans. 

But whether they are a gull, hawk, cuckoo, hornbill, potoo or albatross, they are all cousins in the warm-blooded vertebrate class Aves. The defining features of the Aves are feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. The best features, their ability to dance, bounce and sing, are not listed, but it is how I see them in the world.

These modern dinosaurs live worldwide and range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) ostrich. 

There are about ten thousand living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have wings whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds.

Wings evolved from forelimbs giving birds the ability to fly

Wings, which evolved from forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. 

The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming.

Wee Feathered Theropod Dinosaurs

We now know from fossil and biological evidence that birds are a specialized subgroup of theropod dinosaurs, and more specifically, they are members of Maniraptora, a group of theropods that includes dromaeosaurs and oviraptorids, amongst others. As palaeontologists discover more theropods closely related to birds, the previously clear distinction between non-birds and birds has become a bit muddy.

Recent discoveries in the Liaoning Province of northeast China, which include many small theropod feathered dinosaurs — and some excellent arty reproductions — contribute to this ambiguity. 

Still, other fossil specimens found here shed a light on the evolution of Aves. Confuciusornis sanctus, an Early Cretaceous bird from the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations of China is the oldest known bird to have a beak.

Like modern birds, Confuciusornis had a toothless beak, but close relatives of modern birds such as Hesperornis and Ichthyornis were toothed, telling us that the loss of teeth occurred convergently in Confuciusornis and living birds.

The consensus view in contemporary palaeontology is that the flying theropods, or avialans, are the closest relatives of the deinonychosaurs, which include dromaeosaurids and troodontids.

Together, these form a group called Paraves. Some basal members of this group, such as Microraptor, have features that may have enabled them to glide or fly. 

The most basal deinonychosaurs were wee little things. This raises the possibility that the ancestor of all paravians may have been arboreal, have been able to glide, or both. Unlike Archaeopteryx and the non-avialan feathered dinosaurs, who primarily ate meat, tummy contents from recent avialan studies suggest that the first avialans were omnivores. Even more intriguing...

Avialae, which translates to bird wings, are a clade of flying dinosaurs containing the only living dinosaurs, the birds. It is usually defined as all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to modern birds — Aves — than to deinonychosaurs, though alternative definitions are occasionally bantered back and forth.

The Earliest Avialan: Archaeopteryx lithographica

Archaeopteryx, bird-like dinosaur from the Late Jurassic

Archaeopteryx lithographica, from the late Jurassic Period Solnhofen Formation of Germany, is the earliest known avialan that may have had the capability of powered flight. 

However, several older avialans are known from the Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of China, dating to about 160 million years ago.

The Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx is well-known as one of the first transitional fossils to be found, and it provided support for the theory of evolution in the late 19th century. 

Archaeopteryx was the first fossil to clearly display both traditional reptilian characteristics — teeth, clawed fingers, and a long, lizard-like tail—as well as wings with flight feathers similar to those of modern birds. It is not considered a direct ancestor of birds, though it is possibly closely related to the true ancestor.

Unlikely yet true, the closest living relatives of birds are the crocodilians. Birds are descendants of the primitive avialans — whose members include Archaeopteryx — which first appeared about 160 million years ago in China.

DNA evidence tells us that modern birds — Neornithes — evolved in the Middle to Late Cretaceous, and diversified dramatically around the time of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 mya, which killed off the pterosaurs and all non-avian dinosaurs.

In birds, the brain, especially the telencephalon, is remarkably developed, both in relative volume and complexity. Unlike most early‐branching sauropsids, the adults of birds and other archosaurs have a well‐ossified neurocranium. In contrast to most of their reptilian relatives, but similar to what we see in mammals, bird brains fit closely to the endocranial cavity so that major external features are reflected in the endocasts. What you see on the inside is what you see on the outside.

This makes birds an excellent group for palaeoneurological investigations. The first observation of the brain in a long‐extinct bird was made in the first quarter of the 19th century. However, it was not until the 2000s and the application of modern imaging technologies that avian palaeoneurology really took off.

Understanding how the mode of life is reflected in the external morphology of the brains of birds is but one of several future directions in which avian palaeoneurological research may extend.

Although the number of fossil specimens suitable for palaeoneurological explorations is considerably smaller in birds than in mammals and will very likely remain so, the coming years will certainly witness a momentous strengthening of this rapidly growing field of research at the overlap between ornithology, palaeontology, evolutionary biology and the neurosciences.

Reference: Cau, Andrea; Brougham, Tom; Naish, Darren (2015). "The phylogenetic affinities of the bizarre Late Cretaceous Romanian theropod Balaur bondoc (Dinosauria, Maniraptora): Dromaeosaurid or flightless bird?". PeerJ. 3: e1032. doi:10.7717/peerj.1032. PMC 4476167. PMID 26157616.

Reference: Ivanov, M., Hrdlickova, S. & Gregorova, R. (2001) The Complete Encyclopedia of Fossils. Rebo Publishers, Netherlands. p. 312

UNESCOCERATOPS BY JULIUS CSOTONYI

Unescoceratops koppelhusae, Julius Csotonyi

A very sweet small leptoceratopsid dinosaur, Unescoceratops koppelhusae — a new species in the collections of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta.

The colourful and beautifully detailed painting you see here is by the very talented Julius Csotonyi who captured the magnificence of form, texture and palette to bring this small leptoceratopsid dinosaur to life.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, named in honour of Joseph Burr Tyrrell, is a palaeontology museum and research facility in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. 

This jaw is the holotype specimen of this small leptoceratopsid dinosaur. Only a handful of isolated fossils have been found from this species, including a jaw that is the holotype specimen now in collections at the Royal Tyrell. 

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, named in honour of Joseph Burr Tyrrell, is a palaeontology museum and research facility in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. 

Unescoceratops koppelhusae, RTMP Collections

The rusty chocolate jaw bone you see here is the puzzle piece that helped all of the research come together and help us to better understand more about the diminutive leptoceratopsid dinosaurs from Alberta. 

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Michael Ryan and David Evans of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto recently determined that the specimen was a new genus and species. 

Unescoceratops is a genus of leptoceratopsid ceratopsian dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous (about 76.5-75 million years ago) of Alberta, Canada. Unescoceratops is thought to have been between one and two meters long and less than 91 kilograms. A plant-eater, its teeth were the roundest of all Leptocertopsids.

Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada

The genus name acknowledges the UNESCO  World Heritage Site, Dinosaur Provincial Park, where the fossil was found. 

In addition to its particularly beautiful scenery, Dinosaur Provincial Park – located at the heart of the province of Alberta's badlands – is unmatched in terms of the number and variety of high-quality specimens.

To date, they represent more than 44 species, 34 genera and 10 families of dinosaurs, dating back 75-77 million years. This provides us with remarkable insight into life millions of years ago.

The park contains exceptional riparian habitat features as well as badlands of outstanding aesthetic value.

The creamy honey, beige and rust coloured hills around the fossil locality are outstanding examples of major geological processes and fluvial erosion patterns in semi-arid steppes — think glorious! 

The scenic badlands stretch along 26 kilometres of high quality and virtually undisturbed riparian habitat, presenting a landscape of stark but exceptional natural beauty.

The species name honours Dr. Eva Koppelhus, who has made significant contributions to vertebrate palaeontology and palynology. 

The genus is named to honour the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the locality where the specimen was found and from the Greek “ceratops,” which means 'horned face'. 

Dr Michael Ryan explained that he meant to honour UNESCO's efforts to increase understanding of natural history sites around the world.

© Julius T. Csotonyi An illustration of Unescoceratops koppelhusae, a plant-eating dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period that lived approximately 75 million years ago shared with his gracious permission. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Dr. Julius Csotonyi is a Vancouver-based scientific illustrator and natural history fine artist. He is a featured paleoartist on Season One and Season Two of BC's Fossil Bounty. Julius has a scientific background in ecology (MSc) and microbiology (PhD) which has taken him to study sensitive ecosystems, from sand dunes in the Rocky Mountain parks to hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. 

These experiences have fuelled his strong resolve to work toward preserving our Earth’s biota. Painting biological subjects is one means that he uses to both enhance public awareness of biological diversity and to motivate concern for its welfare.   

He paints murals and panels that have appeared in numerous museums including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, press release images for scientific publications, books, stamp sets — including the outstanding 2018 “Sharks of Canada” set for Canada Post — and coins for the Royal Canadian Mint. To view more of Julius Csotonyi's exquisite work visit: https://csotonyi.com/

FOSSIL BIRDS OF SOOKE'S FORESHORE

Stemec suntokum, Sooke Formation

The diving bird you see here is Stemec suntokum, a Fossil Plopterid from Sooke, British Columbia, Canada.

We all dream of finding new species, and new fossil species in particular. This happens more than you think. As impossible as it sounds, it has happened numerous times at many fossils sites in British Columbia including Sooke on Vancouver Island.

The upper Oligocene Sooke Formation outcrops at Muir Beach on southwestern Vancouver Island, British Columbia where it is flanked by the cool, clear waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

While the site has been known since the 1890s, my first trip here was in the early 1990s as part of a Vancouver Paleontological Society (VanPS) fossil field trip. This easy, beach walk locality is a wonderful place to collect fossils and is especially good for families. If you are solar-powered, you will enjoy the sun playing off the surf from May through September. If you are built of hardier stuff, then the drizzle of Spring or Autumn is a lovely, un-people-y time to walk the beachfront.

As well as amazing west coast scenery, the beach site outcrop has a lovely soft matrix with well-preserved fossil molluscs, often with the shell material preserved (Clark and Arnold, 1923).

By the Oligocene ocean temperatures had cooled to near modern levels and the taxa preserved here as fossils bear a strong resemblance to those found living beneath the Strait of Juan de Fuca today. Gastropods, bivalves, echinoids, coral, chitin and limpets are common-ish — and on rare occasions, fossil marine mammals, cetacean and bird bones are discovered.

Fossil Bird Bones 

Back in 2013, Steve Suntok and his family found fossilized bones from a 25-million-year-old wing-propelled flightless diving bird while out strolling the shoreline near Sooke. Not knowing what they had found but recognizing it as significant, the bones were brought to the Royal British Columbia Museum to identify.

The bones found their way into the hands of Gary Kaiser. Kaiser worked as a biologist for Environment Canada and the Nature Conservatory of Canada. After retirement, he turned his eye from our extant avian friends to their fossil lineage. The thing about passion is it never retires. Gary is now a research associate with the Royal British Columbia Museum, published author and continues his research on birds and their paleontological past.

Kaiser identified the well-preserved coracoid bones as the first example from Canada of a Plotopteridae, an extinct family that lived in the North Pacific from the late Eocene to the early Miocene. In honour of the First Nations who have lived in the area since time immemorial and Steve Suntok who found the fossil, Kaiser named the new genus and species Stemec suntokum.

Magellanic Penguin Chick, Spheniscus magellanicus

This is a very special find. Avian fossils from the Sooke Formation are rare. We are especially lucky that the bird bone was fossilized at all.  These are delicate bones and tasty. Scavengers often get to them well before they have a chance and the right conditions to fossilize.

Doubly lucky is that the find was of a coracoid, a bone from the shoulder that provides information on how this bird moved and dove through the water similar to a penguin. It's the wee bit that flexes as the bird moves his wing up and down.

Picture a penguin doing a little waddle and flapping their flipper-like wings getting ready to hop near and dive into the water. Now imagine them expertly porpoising —  gracefully jumping out of the sea and zigzagging through the ocean to avoid predators. It is likely that the Sooke find did some if not all of these activities.

When preservation conditions are kind and we are lucky enough to find the forelimbs of our plotopterid friends, their bones tell us that these water birds used wing-propelled propulsion to move through the water similar to penguins (Hasegawa et al., 1979; Olson and Hasegawa, 1979, 1996; Olson, 1980; Kimura et al., 1998; Mayr, 2005; Sakurai et al., 2008; Dyke et al., 2011).

Kaiser published on the find, along with Junya Watanabe, and Marji Johns. Their work: "A new member of the family Plotopteridae (Aves) from the late Oligocene of British Columbia, Canada," can be found in the November 2015 edition of Palaeontologia Electronica. If you fancy a read, I've included the link below.

The paper shares insights into what we have learned from the coracoid bone from the holotype Stemec suntokum specimen. It has an unusually narrow, conical shaft, much more gracile than the broad, flattened coracoids of other avian groups. This observation has led some to question if it is, in fact, a proto-cormorant of some kind. We'll need to find more of their fossilized lineage to make any additional comparisons.

Sooke, British Columbia and Juan de Fuca Strait

Today, fossils from these flightless birds have been found in outcrops in the United States and Japan (Olson and Hasegawa, 1996). They are bigger than the Sooke specimens, often growing up to two metres.

While we'll never know for sure, the wee fellow from the Sooke Formation was likely about 50-65 cm long and weighed in around 1.72-2.2 kg — so roughly the length of a duck and weight of a small Magellanic Penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus, chick. 

To give you a visual, I have included a photo of one of these cuties here showing off his full range of motion and calling common in so many young.

The first fossil described as a Plotopteridae was from a wee piece of the omal end of a coracoid from Oligocene outcrops of the Pyramid Hill Sand Member, Jewett Sand Formation of California (LACM 8927). Hildegarde Howard (1969) an American avian palaeontologist described it as Plotopterum joaquinensis. Hildegarde also did some fine work in the La Brea Tar Pits, particularly her work on the Rancho La Brea eagles.

In 1894, a portion of a pelagornithid tarsometatarsus, a lower leg bone from Cyphornis magnus (Cope, 1894) was found in Carmanah Group on southwestern Vancouver Island (Wetmore, 1928) and is now in the collections of the National Museum of Canada as P-189401/6323. This is the wee bone we find in the lower leg of birds and some dinosaurs. We also see this same bony feature in our Heterodontosauridae, a family of early and adorably tiny ornithischian dinosaurs — a lovely example of parallel evolution.

While rare, more bird bones have been found in the Sooke Formation over the past decade. In 2013, three avian bones were found in a single year. The first two were identified as possibly being from a cormorant and tentatively identified as Phalacrocoracidae tibiotarsi, the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird.

They are now in the collections of the Royal BC Museum as (RBCM.EH2013.033.0001.001 and RBCM.EH2013.035.0001.001). These bones do have the look of our extant cormorant friends but the specimens themselves were not very well-preserved so a positive ID is tricky.

The third (and clearly not last) bone, is a well-preserved coracoid bone now in the collection at the RBCM as (RBCM.EH2014.032.0001.001).

The fossil bird find was the first significant find by the Suntok family but not their last. Just last year, they found part of a fish dental plate was studied by Russian researcher Evgeny Popov who named this new genus and species of prehistoric fish Canadodus suntoki, which translates to the "Tooth from Canada." Perhaps not quite as inspired as Kaiser, but a lovely homage to these Citizen Scientists.

Sooke Fossil Fauna

Along with these rare bird bones, the Paleogene sedimentary deposits of the Carmanah Group on southwestern Vancouver Island have a wonderful diversity of delicate fossil molluscs (Clark and Arnold, 1923). Walking along the beach, look for boulders with white shelly material in them. You'll want to collect from the large fossiliferous blocks and avoid the cliffs. The lines of fossils you see in those cliffs tell the story of deposition along a strandline. Collecting from them is both unsafe and poor form as it disturbs nearby neighbours and is discouraged.

Sooke Formation Gastropods, Photo: John Fam

We find nearshore and intertidal genera such as Mytilus (mussels) and barnacles, as well as more typically subtidal predatory globular moon snails (my personal favourite), surf clams (Spisula, Macoma), and thin, flattened Tellin clams.

The preservation here formed masses of shell coquinas that cemented together but are easily worked with a hammer and chisel. Remember your eye protection and I'd choose wellies or rubber boots over runners or hikers.

You may be especially lucky on your day out. Look for the larger fossil bones of marine mammals and whales that lived along the North American Pacific Coast in the Early Oligocene (Chattian).

Concretions and coquinas on the beach have yielded desmostylid, an extinct herbivorous marine mammal, Cornwallius sookensis (Cornwall, 1922) and 40 cm. skull of a cetacean Chonecetus sookensis (Russell, 1968), and a funnel whale, a primitive ancestor of our Baleen whales. 

A partial lower jaw and molar possibly from a large, bear-like beach-dwelling carnivore, Kolponomos, was also found here. A lovely skull from a specimen of Kolponomos clallamensis (Stirton, 1960) was found 60 km southwest across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the early Miocene Clallam Formation and published by Lawrence Barnes and James Goedert. That specimen now calls the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County home and is in their collections as #131148.

Directions to Muir Creek Fossil Site at Sooke: 

From the town of Sooke west of Victoria, follow Highway 14 for about 14 kilometres. Just past the spot where the highway crosses Muir Creek, you will see a gravel parking area on your left. Pull in and park here. 

From the barrier, walk out to the beach and turn right (west) and walk until you see the low yellow-brown sandstone cliffs about 400 metres ahead. 

Look at the grey sandstone boulders on the beach with bits of white flecks in them. The fossil material here will most often be a whitish cream colour. Check for low tide before heading out and choose rubber boots for this beach adventure.

References: 

L. S. Russell. 1968. A new cetacean from the Oligocene Sooke Formation of Vancouver Island, British Colombia. Canadian Journal of Earth Science 5:929-933
Barnes, Lawrence & Goedert, James. (1996). Marine vertebrate palaeontology on the Olympic Peninsula. Washington Geology, 24(3):17-25.

Fancy a read? Here's the link to Gary Kaiser's paper: https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2015/1359-plotopterid-in-canada. If you'd like to head to the beach site, head to: 48.4°N 123.9°W, paleo-coordinates 48.0°N 115.0°W.

DINOSAURS OF THAILAND

This beautiful dinosaur track is from Kalasin Dinosaur Park in northeastern Thailand. 

Thailand boasts some of the finest Mesozoic trackways from five endemic dinosaur species.  

Since 1976, the Department of Mineral Resources with Thai-French Paleontological Project had continuously investigated the dinosaurs in the Phu Wiang mountains. The project found so many vertebrae, teeth, and footprints of the dinosaurs mainly from the sandstones of the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation (about 130 million years old). These include sauropods and theropods ranging in size from adorable chickens to beasties up to 15 meters long. 

The Thai dinosaur record from the continental rocks of the Khorat Plateau is the best in Southeast Asia. The oldest footprints are those from small dinosaurs from the Middle to Late Jurassic Phra Wihan Formation. The most varied dinosaur assemblages come from the Late Jurassic Sao Khua Formation. Here we see the sauropods dominate the fossil beds interspersed with a variety of theropods. Large theropod footprints are known from the Early Cretaceous Phu Phan Formation. Theropods and the primitive ceratopsian Psittacosaurus occur in the Aptian-Albian Khok Kruat Formation. We find dinosaur material further north along the Mekong River region of Laos. Thai fossils show a close relationship to those found in China and Mongolia. 

If you'd like to go visit them, there is a rather nice display at the Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum in the newly established Wiang Kao district about 80 kilometres to the west of the provincial capital of Khon Kaen. They have several species on display, including: Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae, Siamosaurus suteethorni, Siamotyrannus isanensis, Kinnareemimus khonkaenensis, Compsognathus (awe, a wee vicious chicken...) and, of course, the Phu Wiang dinosaur footprints.

If you'd like to visit Kalasin Dinosaur Park, follow route 227 towards Lam Pao Dam and Dok Ket Beach. Instead of turning left towards the dam, continue up towards Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum. You'll see it on your left about 5km before the museum. For some GPS help, pop this into Google Maps: Dinosaur Park, Ni Khom, Sahatsakhan District, Kalasin 46140, Thailand.

References: 

• Ingavat, R., Janvier, R., and Taquet, P. (1978) Decouverte en Thailande d'une portion de femur de dinosaure sauropode (Saurischia, Reptilia). C.R. Soc.Geol.France 3: 140-141
• Wickanet Songtham and Benja Sektheera (2006) Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae Bangkok: Department of Mineral Resources: 100 pages
• Buffetaut, E., Suteethorn, V., and Tong, H. (2009) An earliest 'ostrich dinosaur' (Theropoda: Ornithomosauria) from the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of NE Thailand, pp. 229-243, in E. Buffetaut, G. Cuny, J. Le Loeuff, and V. Suteethorn (eds.), Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Ecosystem in SE Asia. Geological Society, London, Special Publication 315.

PARASAUROLOPHUS WALKERI OF ALBERTA

Holotype Specimen of P. walkeri, Royal Ontario Museum

Love Dinosaurs? We can find this beauty— Parasaurolophus walkeri in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada. 

The Dinosaur Park Formation is the uppermost member of the Belly River Group — also known as the Judith River Group, a major geologic unit in southern Alberta. 

It is an area rich in fossils. The formation contains dense concentrations of dinosaur skeletons, both articulated and disarticulated, often found with preserved remains of soft-tissues. Remains of other animals such as fish, turtles, and crocodilians, as well as plant remains, are also abundant. The formation has been named after Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the formation is well-exposed in the badlands that flank the Red Deer River.

The Dinosaur Park Formation was deposited during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, between about 76.9 and 75.8 million years ago in what was an alluvial and coastal plain environment. It is bounded by the nonmarine Oldman Formation below and the marine Bearpaw Formation above.

The formation includes diverse and well-documented fauna including dinosaurs such as the horned Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus, and Styracosaurus, fellow duckbills Gryposaurus and Corythosaurus, the mighty tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus, and armoured Edmontonia, Euoplocephalus and Dyoplosaurus. 

Dinosaur Park Formation is interpreted as a low-relief setting of rivers and floodplains that became more swampy and influenced by marine conditions over time as the Western Interior Seaway transgressed westward. The climate was warmer than present-day Alberta, without frost, but with wetter and drier seasons. Conifers were apparently the dominant canopy plants, with an understory of ferns, tree ferns, and angiosperms.

Some of the less common hadrosaurs in the Dinosaur Park Formation of Dinosaur Provincial Park, such as Parasaurolophus, may represent the remains of individuals who died while migrating through the region. They might also have had a more upland habitat where they may have nested or fed. The presence of Parasaurolophus and Kritosaurus in northern latitude fossil sites may represent faunal exchange between otherwise distinct northern and southern biomes in Late Cretaceous North America. Both taxa are uncommon outside of the southern biome, where, along with Pentaceratops, they are predominant members of the fauna.

Photo: Holotype Specimen: The incomplete Parasaurolophus walkeri type specimen in the Royal Ontario Museum. Location: 43° 40′ 5.09″ N, 79° 23′ 40.59″ W. Shared by MissBossy.

PISTA DE BAILE JURÁSICA

This busy slate grey dinosaur trackway from the Iberian Peninsula looks more like a dance floor than the thoroughfare it is. 

The numerous theropod dinosaur tracks — with a few enormous sauropod tracks thrown in for good measure — cover the entire surface. 

The local soil has a bit of rusty iron ore in it that highlights each print nicely when the soil is blown into the depressions the tracks left. 

The dinosaurs crossed this muddy area en masse sometime back in the Jurassic.

The Iberian Peninsula is the westernmost of the three major southern European peninsulas — the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan. It is bordered on the southeast and east by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the north, west, and southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. The Pyrenees mountains are situated along the northeast edge of the peninsula, where it adjoins the rest of Europe. Its southern tip is very close to the northwest coast of Africa, separated from it by the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Iberian Peninsula contains rocks of every geological period from the Ediacaran to the recent, and almost every kind of rock is represented. To date, there are 127 localities of theropod fossil finds ranging from the Callovian-Oxfordian — Middle-Upper Jurassic — to the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous), with most of the localities concentrated in the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian interval and the Barremian and Campanian stages. The stratigraphic distribution is interesting and suggests the existence of ecological and/or taphonomic biases and palaeogeographical events that warrant additional time and attention.

As well as theropods, we also find their plant-eating brethren. This was the part of the world where the last of the hadrosaurs, the duck-billed dinosaurs, lived then disappeared in the Latest Cretaceous K/T extinction event 65.5 million years ago.

The core of the Iberian Peninsula is made up of a Hercynian cratonic block known as the Iberian Massif. On the northeast, this is bounded by the Pyrenean fold belt, and on the southeast, it is bounded by the Baetic System. These twofold chains are part of the Alpine belt. To the west, the peninsula is delimited by the continental boundary formed by the magma-poor opening of the Atlantic Ocean. The Hercynian Foldbelt is mostly buried by Mesozoic and Tertiary cover rocks to the east but nevertheless outcrops through the Sistema Ibérico and the Catalan Mediterranean System. The photo you see here is care of the awesome Pedro Marrecas from Lisbon, Portugal. Hola, Pista de baile jurásica!

Pereda-Suberbiola, Xabier; Canudo, José Ignacio; Company, Julio; Cruzado-Caballero, Penélope; Ruiz-Omenaca, José Ignacio. "Hadrosauroid dinosaurs from the latest Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula" Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29(3): 946-951, 12 de septiembre de 2009.

Pereda-Suberbiola, Xabier; Canudo, José Ignacio; Cruzado-Caballero, Penélope; Barco, José Luis; López-Martínez, Nieves; Oms, Oriol; Ruíz-Omenaca, José Ignacio. Comptes Rendus Palevol 8(6): 559-572 septiembre de 2009.

DARWIN'S TOXODON

Toxodon is an extinct large grazing mammal. The first Toxodon fossils were discovered by Charles Darwin on his visit to South America as part of his voyage on the HMS Beagle. 

Darwin wondered at the fossil's strange appearance as it seemed to share features with both rodents and rhinos. 

“Toxodon is perhaps one of the strangest animals ever discovered,” wrote Darwin. He first encountered the creature in Uruguay on November 26th, 1834. 

“Having heard of some giant’s bones at a neighbouring farm-house…, I rode there accompanied by my host, and purchased for the value of eighteen pence the head of the Toxodon.”

The beast’s skeleton, once fully assembled, was a baffling mish-mash of traits. It was huge like a rhino, but it had the chiselling incisors of a rodent—its name means “arched tooth”—and the high-placed eyes and nostrils of a manatee or some other aquatic mammal. “How wonderfully are the different orders, at present time so well separated, blended together in different points of the structure of the toxodon!”

Although Toxodon is not related to rodents, in 2015, it was discovered to be distantly related to rhinoceros. 

CARNOTAURUS SASTREI: FLESH EATING BULL

Carnotaurus sastrei, a genus of large theropod dinosaurs that roamed the southern tip of Argentina, South America during the Late Cretaceous, 72 to 69.9 million years ago. His name means "flesh-eating bull,' and he lives up to it.

This fellow — or at least his robust skull with the short, knobby eyebrow horns and fierce-looking teeth — is on display at the Natural History Museum in Madrid, Spain. For now, he is the only known genus of this species of bipedal predator.

The first specimen of Carnotaurus sastrei was found in Chubut on vast plains between the Andes Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. A physician, Dr. A'ngel Tailor noticed a large concretion showing some bone fragments. A team led by José F. Bonaparte excavated the find in 1984 as part of a paleontological expedition funded by the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences.

Sadly, Bonaparte — the Maestro del Mesozoico — passed away the 18th February 20220 at the age of 91. He spent the majority of his career as head of the Vertebrate Palaeontology Division of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia,” in Buenos Aires. Bonaparte opened up the vertebrate finds of Argentina to the world. He was instrumental in the finding, excavating and naming many iconic dinosaurs — Carnotaurus, Amargasaurus, Abelisaurus, Argentinosaurus, Noasaurus along with the finding of the first fossilised remains of Mesozoic South American mammals. He mentored many palaeontologists who will miss his keen eye and tremendous work ethic — Luis Chiappe, Rodolfo Coria, Agustín Martinelli, Fernando Novas, Jaime Powell, Guillermo Rougier, Leonardo Salgado, Sebastián Apesteguía and many others.

His excavation of Carnotaurus was the first of its kind and he recognized that the skull is quite unusual. Initially, it has a very marine reptile feel — but make no mistake this guy is clearly a terrestrial theropod. He had smallish, underdeveloped arms — teeny by theropod standards. Once you look closer you see his bull-like horns from whence he gets his name — horns that imply battle between rivals for the best meal, sexual partner and to be the one who leads the herd. 

He was covered in leathery skin lined with rows of cone-shaped nodules or bumps. These get larger as they move towards his spine. He had forward-facing eyes, similar to tyrannosaurs like T-rex and smaller theropods like Velociraptor and Troodon — who had better vision even that T-rex — which would have given him the advantage of binocular vision and depth perception. Forward-facing eyes are also quite helpful with nocturnal hunting — think owls and cats — as they take in more light and help with nighttime predation. So perhaps this flesh-eating bull fancied a late-night snack on his menu from time to time.

Species like squirrels, pigeons and crocodiles have eyes on the sides of their heads. They lack the important competitive feature of well-developed depth perception — being able to easily and estimate distance — but perhaps make up for it with a panorama that offers a wider field of view.