Participants in the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum’s Palaeontologist For a Day Program contribute to important specimen recovery efforts and they may even find themselves being part of rare discoveries.

That was the case at the Pipestone bonebed last week.

“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,” says Museum Curator Emily Bamforth.

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

The Pachyrhinosaurus in the Pipestone Creek bonebed belongs to the Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai species, which is endemic to the South Peace Region and found nowhere else in the world.

“The fact that we’re finding animals of all ages in this one bonebed gives us an unprecedented ability to study these dinosaurs’ growth from hatchling to adult. The fossil plant material and amber allows us an opportunity to study the paleoenvironment at this one snapshot of geologic time,” says Bamforth.

These discoveries are a thrill for volunteers.

All of our Paleo for a Day participants are blown away by the density of the bonebed,” says Bamforth. “They are all pretty excited to think they are the first to ever see these new fossils in the ground and also appreciate witnessing more of the science behind the paleontology.”

Participants observe museum personnel mapping fossils with centimetre-scale precision and then strategizing how to remove them. They learn how palaeontologists know the appropriate tools to use for each fossil and how rocks are removed effectively to ensure specimens maintain their integrity.

“All of this gives participants a greater sense that what they are doing is really part of a scientific process, not just getting a fossil out of the ground,” Bamforth says.

Pipestone findsPhoto: Supplied

The Paleontologist for a Day Program invites more public members to help the museum team excavate at the Pipestone site. There are spots available in the July 18-24 and August 22-28 sessions

Registration is also available for one of the Museum’s guided Fossil, Floods and Footprints tours being held throughout the summer.

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

To sign up for these programs, visit www.dinomuseum.ca