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The Six Peaks dinosaur track site in British Columbia offers a wealth of clues about dinosaurs, including a functionally four-toed dinosaur. CBC News reports that this is the first time that paleontologists have uncovered a footprint from this particular dinosaur. This creature – which scientists speculate to belong to an early Cretaceous-era dinosaur – had tracks that were up to almost 55 cm in length. That suggests that the dinosaur could have been about as tall as a small Tyrannosaurus rex.

A number of other dinosaur tracks exist at the site, and scientists have plenty more to uncover. 700 square meters have been exposed, but the paleontologists’ goal is to excavate 3,500 square meters. Already, experts have found footprints from a small Ornithipod, a medium Ornithipod, and large Ornithipod. Scientists believe that this dinosaur often walked on its hind legs but sometimes walked on its hands and hind legs. Paleontologists have found three different foot print types from a dinosaur variety related to allasourus. Two trackways from a brontosaurus were also located at the Six Peaks dinosaur site.

This location, which is near the town of Hudson’s Hope, has a rich diversity of dinosaurs. Watch the video below to view paleontologists at work and hear them explain about the discoveries they’ve found so far.

This month the Royal Tyrell Museum – Canada’s only museum dedicated solely to paleontology – received  funding of $3,595,000. Although the museum is operated by the Government of Alberta under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, this is the first time it has ever received Government of Canada infrastructure funding. The money will help enable the museum to expand its facility for even more educational opportunities with outreach areas, multi-use rooms for meetings and school groups, and 1,300 square m dedicated to hands on activities to encourage exploration.

The funding comes from the Capital Plan which invests in infrastructure that will help stimulate the economy and keep people working. The Royal Tyrell Museum is already a renowned tourist destination, and the expansion will provide more opportunities to reach out to visitors.

The Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Associate Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament (Calgary Centre) had the following to say about the museum’s expansion:

“As Canada’s premier palaeontological institution, the Royal Tyrrell Museum has become an important stop in the Canadian Badlands. This expansion will allow the Museum to continue its tradition of excellence in programming and outreach to museum visitors.”

The Royal Tyrell Museum has already established a reputation for making learning fun, and we know that this expansion will further the museum’s mission to bring the past to life.

A Calgary-found dinosaur embryo is giving scientists a new perspective on how long it took dinosaur eggs to hatch. Previously, scientists thought that the dinosaur egg incubation period would be similar to that of birds, somewhere between 11 to 85 days. The larger the egg (at least in the case of birds), the longer the incubation period. However, the incubation period was apparently more like that of lizards.

Gregory Erickson of Florida State University lead a team of researchers in a study that was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Erickson examined a Hypacrosaurus, found in Calgary, and a Protoceratops found by the American Museum of Natural History in the Mongolian Gobi Desert for the study. Dinosaur embryos are not readily available to study since there are less than 10 known dinosaur embryos in existence.

Erickson was able to examine embryos on both ends of the dinosaur size spectrum. The Hypacrosaurus are some of the largest known dinosaurs, with eggs that weigh four kilograms and resemble volleyballs. On the other hand, Protoceratops eggs are some of the smallest dinosaur eggs that researchers have found.

The key was to study the growth lines on the dinosaurs’ teeth. Like other animals such as crocodiles, the teeth form a new line each day that they develop. Erickson found that the small Protoceratops had an incubation period of three months and the large Hypacrosaurus had an incubation period of about six months.

The tail of an ancient dinosaur was found encased in amber and remarkably preserved. CNN reported that Xing Lida, a Chinese paleontologist found the piece of amber at an amber market in northern Myanmar. Burmese traders thought that there was just a fragment of a plant inside. However, Lida realized that there was actually a vertebrate inside the piece of amber, which was only the size of a dried apricot.

The findings on the specimen were detailed in a paper co-authored by Xing Lida and Saskatchwan paleontologist Ryan McKellar. The paper was published in the December issue of Current Biology. McKellar is a paleontologist at the Royal Saskatchwan Museum in Canada. Paleontologist Ryan McKellar is part of “So you wanna be a dino hunter?” article in the upcoming inaugural issue of Experience The Dinosaur Trails.

Remarkably, feathers were found along with the bone fragments, which belong to a young coelurosaurian. This gives scientists further confidence that the coelurosaurian had feathers instead of scales. Furthermore, a microscopic examination of the feathers suggests that this particular coelurosaurian was probably chestnut brown and white. The coelurosaurian was a small creature that was about the size of a sparrow.

Screenshot of CNN video “Dinosaur Tail Discovered Trapped in Amber”

The discovery also underscores the importance of studying fossils encased in amber. Soft tissue and decayed blood were found in the fossil, and the amber also preserved the pigmentation. However, no genetic material was preserved. (Sorry, Jurassic Park fans!) This breakthrough discovery has given scientists a better idea of what a coelurosaurian looked like, and it also could lead to exciting future discoveries of fossils inside amber.

BBC News reported on November 10 that a newly discovered species of dinosaurs was almost blown to oblivion. Construction workers in China were using dynamite to prepare for the site of a new high school when they found this unique species. Because of the construction, a few small parts of the dinosaur were blasted off, but the fossil is still relatively complete.

The dinosaur was apparently stuck in mud before it died, which resulted in the majority of the skeleton being preserved. The fossil is about the size of a sheep, and researchers believe it was an type of bird-like theropod dinosaurs with a beak.

The discovery was made in Jiangxi Province, Southern China and was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Screenshot of BBC News’ video about the dinosaur fossil found in China.

For the first time, dinosaur brain tissue was discovered in a dino fossil! Scientists have recently written findings of their research of a cast of a dinosaur’s brain cavity. The cast was found in 2004 by an amateur fossil collector. In an article for The Guardian on Thursday, October 27, Nicola Davis wrote, “Thought to belong to a relative of the Iguanodon, the thin layer of mineralised matter is the first fossilised brain tissue found for any land-living vertebrate.” Scientists believe the brain tissue is 130 million years old.

The cast measures at approximately 10 cm by 5 cm and is thought to be about a third of the size of an entire brain cavity. Scientists were able to use x-ray techniques to create a virtual, 3D model of the fossil, which has helped them explore its structure and how it was formed.

Another research technique provided even more insight. Davis wrote, “An approach known as scanning tunnelling microscopy shed light on the structure of the thin layers of mineralised tissue.” Alex Liu, co-author of the research from the University of Cambridge, said that scientists found fine detailed bundles of what is apparently collagenous fibres. These bundles are also interspersed with what appears to be capillaries. Both the collagenous fibres and the capillaries are what scientists would have expected to find on the outer protective tissue of the brain.

Screenshot of The Guardian’s animation of the cast and veneer of mineralised tissue.

This exciting find debunks previously held conclusions that the some dinosaurs, including Iguanodons, had brains surrounded by a thick membrane, with the brain taking up about half of the brain cavity. However, Davis wrote that, “analysis of the fossilised tissues revealed only a thin, millimetre-thick layer of protective tissue, known as the meninges, covering tissue resembling that of the brain proper beneath.” The brain of the Iguanodon was apparently much larger than scientists thought. However, the size of the brain doesn’t reveal whether the Iguanodon had any greater intelligence, ability to communicate, etc.

This discovery also provides evidence that nueral tissues can be fossilised, which could prove previously held assumptions wrong. Typically scientists have thought that brains cannot fossilize because they decay rapidly after animals die.

Follow this link to read the coverage The Guardian published and to watch an animation of the cast and veneer of mineralised tissue.

Calgary Zoo’s life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs are leaving for good on October 31st. Don’t miss your last chance to see the exciting Dinos Alive exhibit!

As you walk down a scenic path, sixteen animatronic dinosaurs will roar and come to life around every turn. You’ll feel like you’ve been transported to prehistoric times! Each day various talks and interactive programs will help children to become dino experts. You’ll also get to experience the life of a palenontologist by uncovering giant fossils at the Dino Dig.

To add even more to your dino adventure, download the new Calgary Zoo Augmented Reality app from the iTunes App Store or the Google Play Store. While using the app, point your phone at signage around the Calgary Zoo to view dinosaurs in stunning augmented reality complete with full animations and interactivity. You can also learn about the fossil record and scientific names of dinosaurs, plus more!

The Dinos Alive exhibit is free with zoo admission.

We are truly excited by the recent announcement by the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau regarding their name change to Experience Scottsdale.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2016/09/21/scottsdale-convention-visitors-bureau-is-now.html

In 2005, when I first thought of publishing a visitor’s guide to the mountain national parks in western Canada, I sat at the feet of the manager of a very important Visitor Information Centre.  He told me what travellers wanted to know and suggested ways on how to present that material.

As I chewed on what I had learned, the word Experience just naturally came to mind.  As the vision of our traveller’s guide came into focus, the only logical title became apparent to us: Experience the Mountain Parks.

We have published Experience the Mountain Parks each spring now for 11 years. Along the way, we have received hundreds of testimonials from not only our readers, but also the front line staff whose job it is to counsel travellers in the region. Here is just one example:

We are having a such a busy summer in our centre. Our main building itself is having over a thousand visitors every day. And as you might know already, Experience the Mountain Parks is the most popular brochure to visitors of all time. We have just used the last box of two of your magazines. Please send us more Experience the Mountain Parks and Experience the Cowboy Trail when you have a chance. They both go really fast.

Thank you always,
Traveling Counselors
(Travel Alberta Canmore Visitor Information Centre)

Over the past 2-3 years, we have started to notice that some of the communities in western Canada are starting to realize the value of the word Experience, because they are starting to use it in the titles of their brochures. However, I’m not so sure that they fully understand what is needed in a guide in order to truly help the reader enhance their experience.

In 2017, we will launch our 4^th magazine to be titled Experience the Dinosaur Trails. It will be modelled, like its sister Publications, Experience the Cowboy Trails and Experience Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths upon the foundation of success first built with Experience the Mountain Parks.

For more information, please visit www.cmiPublishing.ca.

The Art Gallery of Alberta is encouraging people to find fossils inside and outside of galleries and then share their discoveries. After you’ve taken a photo of a fossil, you can have your geotagged photos added to a special #FindAFossilAB map! Just tweet it with the hashtag #FindAFossilAB or join the #FindAFossilAB Flickr group. Click here to view specific geotagging instructions.

To start your fossil quest, visit the exhibition Jason de Haan: Grey to Pink through November 13 to easily spot some fossils. If you’re feeling adventurous, go on your own fossil hunt in the great outdoors!

Click here to view the map and see the pictures that have already been geotagged. Even if you don’t participate, you can use the map to locate places where you can view fossils. Exploring the dinosaur trails doesn’t have to mean a week-long vacation – it can be a easy as spending a couple hours finding fossils on a great weekend!

Welcome to this, our companion web site for our 4th magazine designed specifically to help travellers in Western Canada, get the most out of their vacations.

Perhaps just like you, we’ve been fascinated by dinosaurs since we were small kids. There is something magical and mystical about dinosaurs and the 1993 launch of the Jurassic Park film franchise brought dinosaurs to life for the masses. Sam Neill plays Dr. Alan Grant, a leading paleontologist in this movie and it is said that this character was modelled, in part after Philip John Currie.

Currie is a Canadian palaeontologist who helped found the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta. He is now a professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton and one of the primary editors of the Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Currie has been involved with fossil discovery at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, and many other locations in Western Canada and internationally.  In 2015, the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum opened in Wembley, Alberta. This museum features one of the world’s richest dinosaur-bone beds, Pipestone Creek.

Why are dinosaur finds so common in Western Canada?

Millions of years ago, what is now the Pacific Northwest, was covered by a vast inland sea and tropical vegetation. Dinosaurs roamed freely across this vast area (See our coverage in the 2011 edition of Experience the Mountain Parks at http://dig.cmipublishing.ca/i/99755).

Over the centuries, evidence of their existence in this region was covered by soil deposits, however erosion, largely caused by wind and water in and around river valleys, has exposed dinosaur bones across Western Canada and the Northern States. These bones and dinosaur tracks have been found from Eastend, Saskatchewan, to Hudson’s Hope, BC, from the Crowsnest Pass to Fort McMurray, and beyond.

Dinosaur Provincial Park, the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Calgary Zoo, and the Royal Alberta Museum are just four of the many attractions with interactive displays and artifacts bringing dinosaurs back to life for kids of all ages. And when it comes to dinosaurs, let’s face it, we’re all still just kids at heart!

Stay Tuned…

Our publishing team has already mapped out the stories that we are going to run in 2017, and as they are written, we are going to post them on this site.  Once the first magazine (and subsequent issues) are published, they will be uploaded into our Mobile Library, so that you will be able to download them and take them with you on your dino vacation.

We run reader contests in all of our magazines, so if you are enjoying a dinosaur vacation in 2016, or have had the good fortune to be in the area in recent years, plan to share your photos with us for a chance to win our Reader Photo Contest.

The 2017-2018 edition of Experience the Dinosaur Trails is due to hit the streets on April 1, 2017, so watch the Our Distributors Page for a location near you, where you can pick up a hard copy of the magazine!