Paleontologists discover Sask.’s 1st fossil specimens of horned centrosaurus
McGill University students and paleontologists have documented Saskatchewan’s first known fossil specimens of centrosaurus, a horned dinosaur species, along the South Saskatchewan River. This discovery provides a glimpse into what the province looked like over 75 million years ago.
Centrosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur with one horn on its snout and spines around the back of its neck frill. The discovery site at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park, known as the Lake Diefenbaker Bonebed, reveals an environment unlike any previously documented in Canada.
Alexandre Demers-Potvin, one of the authors of the study, highlighted the significance of this new discovery in understanding a time long before humans inhabited the Earth. He mentioned that the area showed a unique transition between terrestrial and marine fauna, indicating a rich and diverse habitat.
The research, published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, sheds light on a coastal habitat in Saskatchewan, showcasing the coexistence of large terrestrial dinosaurs like centrosaurus with marine animals. The study also unveiled a rare mix of dinosaur and marine fossils, including the citipes elegans, a small two-legged dinosaur resembling a chicken with a beak.
The fossils were meticulously prepared and curated at McGill’s Redpath Museum over the past decade, following approval and loan from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina. Ryan McKellar, curator of paleontology at the RSM, emphasized that these findings help distinguish between Alberta and Saskatchewan’s ecosystems, providing material for future studies.
The RSM’s fossil collection dates back over 66 million years, but the new discoveries offer a glimpse into a period 75 million years ago. McKellar expressed the importance of such findings in inspiring interest in science, particularly among children and new audiences eager to learn about paleontology.
Collaboration between institutions, such as the partnership between McGill University and the RSM, plays a crucial role in advancing knowledge about Earth’s history. The study acknowledges the contributions of Tim Tokaryk, who first published on the Lake Diefenbaker Bonebed in 1990.
The decades-long project, including excavations and documentation, underscores the value of continued exploration and research in paleontology. Rediscovering and re-exploring sites like the Lake Diefenbaker Bonebed with new groups and more intensive sampling enhances our understanding of prehistoric environments and the creatures that inhabited them.
