In 1996, as hype was escalating for a much-anticipated Jurassic Park sequel, a group of Victorians, already entrenched in a world rife with dinosaurs, fossils and extinct species, opened its doors to the public.
The Victoria Palaeontology Society hosts its 16th annual Fossil Fair this weekend, giving inquisitive minds an opportunity to learn about the creatures that inhabited our planet tens of millions of years ago.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very, very exciting. Palaeontology is the whole evolution of life on this planet, and itB次元官网网址檚 the only record we have,B次元官网网址� said Tom Cockburn, vice-chair of the society.
And while the great dinosaurs you see on film werenB次元官网网址檛 all that common in this part of Canada, Cockburn and his colleagues at the society have discovered new fossilized specimens right in our own backyard.
B次元官网网址淭he people of the palaeontology society have made a number of discoveries B次元官网网址� including a number of new species that have been named,B次元官网网址� Cockburn said. B次元官网网址淎nd thereB次元官网网址檚 a number of things that havenB次元官网网址檛 been reported from the Sooke Formation B次元官网网址� there are new species probably in there B次元官网网址� mostly snails and bivalves.B次元官网网址�
These sorts of fossils will be on display at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary during this weekendB次元官网网址檚 fair.
Most fossilized discoveries made by society members wind up stored at the discovererB次元官网网址檚 home for safekeeping. Anything deemed scientifically important is donated to the Royal B.C. Museum.
Also on display for the public to touch this weekend is the large femur of a Hadrosaur, a duck-billed dinosaur that roamed Alberta during the Cretaceous period (upwards of 136 million years ago).
The Fossil Fair, which mainly features Vancouver Island and B.C. fossils, is great for all ages, Cockburn said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 always something a little bit different, something new to see.B次元官网网址� New B次元官网网址� even if it is millions of years old.
The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday (March 24 and 25), at 3873 Swan Lake Rd.
Admission is by donation.
For more information on the Victoria Palaeontology Society, visit vicpalaeo.org.
kslavin@saanichnews.com
