Young boy gets firsthand look at Tyrannosaurs tooth.  Photo courtesy Phillip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum 

By Erika Rolling

Dino Discovery

Volunteers get first look at newly found fossils at Pipestone bonebed

Jul 4, 2022 | 11:05 AM

The Phillip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum’s Paleontologist For a Day Program has given a select few the first look at newly uncovered fossils on the Wapiti River.

Last month on the Pipestone bonebed, people got to experience the specimen-rich area with a few rare discoveries that have been unearthed.

Museum Curator, Dr. Emily Bamforth said in a news release “At the end of the 2021 excavation season, a Pachyrhinosaurus femur (upper leg bone), two tibiae (lower leg bones), and a partial juvenile skull were uncovered”

“In the process of excavating these fossils, we located a juvenile Pachyrhinosaurus ilium (hip bone), as well as several vertebrae, ribs, partial frill fragments, and foot bones.”

“A tyrannosaur tooth (c.f. Gorgosaurus), a small theropod (raptor) tooth, and a rare mammal tooth were also found. Another exciting find from the bonebed was a tiny insect inside a grain of amber,” she said.

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Local History

Oliver's Funeral Home - 109 years of Service

Sep 04, 2024

Executive Director of the Museum Linden Roberts says the find is “really cool!”

“It’s part of that story of this bonebed, having encapsulated Pachyrhinosaurus from all ages of life, which is something you don’t get normally.”

“It’ll be open a lot more this year than it has previously so that people can come down and participate in the Paleontologist For a Day Program or they can take the Bonebed Tour, which is really fun,” Roberts says.

This particular type of Pachyrhinosaurus; the Lakustai species is unique to the South Peace Region and has not been found anywhere else in the world.

Roberts described the dinosaur as a “scary-looking rhinoceros if you saw it today, a really big rhinoceros.”

“These might have even been eaten by Tyrannosaurus-type creatures,” she added.

The Paleontologist for a Day Program invites the public to help the Phillip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum team excavate at the Pipestone site.

The Museums website is being redone, but there are availabilities to do the program this July and August, contact us at 587-771-0662, or email us at visitorservices@dinomuseum.ca.

Dr. Bamforth said “This is a great opportunity to see one of the densest dinosaur bonebeds in Canada, right on Grande Prairie’s doorstep,”

Photo courtesy Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

Photo courtesy Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

Photo courtesy Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum