Guests at Nanaimo Museum this summer will see an array of paleontology marvels, most strikingly a life-size replica of Buster, a ceratopsian species discovered in B.C.
Dinosaurs of B.C. is a travelling exhibit featured at the Nanaimo Museum from June 7-Sept. 6, showcasing local B.C. paleontological discoveries curated by the Royal B.C. Museum.
Buster, the main focus of this exhibit, is a herbivore discovered in 1971 by Kenny F. Larsen, a geologist working on the B.C. Rail line near the Sustut River, north of Smithers. Due to its location, the species earned the name ferrisaurus sustutensis, meaning “the Iron Lizard from the Sustut River."
Genetically, ferrisaurus sustutensis are a member of the leptoceratopsidae family, within the broader ceratopsian group, that lived in the Cretaceous period. Some of the most famous ceratopsians include triceratops and styracosaurus – both of which are featured in the Jurassic World franchise.
"One of the most exciting elements and eye-catching elements of this exhibit is the model of Buster that people can come and take a look at," said Aimee Greenaway, Nanaimo Museum's curator. "It's life-size, and since we can't touch the life-size model we have a little 3D scale version so that we can get a sense of Buster's shape and size."
Greenaway said that many younger guests associate museums with paleontology, so this was an opportunity for Nanaimo to meet that interest.
"We've got summer activities planned with the theme of dinosaurs, and we're really looking at this as an opportunity to invite the community in to see the exhibit," she said. "There are interactive exhibits for all ages, including for kids, and having a new exhibit that's educational but also really fun for the summertime."
Interactive elements include kids games, such as 'Buster: True or False' available on a screen in the exhibit that guests can play, as well as a video showing excavation in the field.
It's not just herbivores on display either, with the cast of an upper-jaw bone and a foot print of a tyrannosaur for guests to view.
The most impressive aspect of the exhibit, Greenaway said, is that all fossils featured are from species native to what is now British Columbia.
"So often we hear about research that is from Alberta or from other parts of the world, but this is very close to home, this is what things were like in British Columbia."
Following the dinosaur theme, on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays from June 28-Sept. 1, kids ages three and up can sift through kinetic sand to find shells, replica dinosaur fossils and coal. Afterward, they exchange what they find for a dinosaur-themed prize. The museum's I Spy game has also taken a dinosaur twist, with 12 dinosaur clues hidden for guests to find.
