VICTORIA, BC — Thanks to the Royal BC Museum’s new travelling exhibition, Dinosaurs of BC which opens to the public today, museum visitors will have a chance to learn about the ancient beasts that once called these lands home and what goes into unearthing evidence of their existence.
Designed in-house by the museum’s exhibition fabrication team, Dinosaurs of BC is a showcase of years of work led by Dr. Victoria Arbour, Curator of Palaeontology with the Royal BC Museum. From fossils to fieldwork, the exhibition takes visitors through the process of finding and excavating bones to identifying and preparing fossils for exhibition.
“Despite British Columbia not being thought of a dinosaur hotbed, there is an incredible diversity of dinosaurs that can be found across the province—they’re just a little harder to find,” says Arbour. “We’ve only really scratched the surface of what there is to find, so it’s an exciting time to be a palaeontologist here.”
Though it may not be the first place you’d expect to find dinosaur bones, British Columbia has a few secrets still to tell. From ankylosaur and tyrannosaur tracks to beautifully preserved marine fossils and a reconstruction of a Ferrisaurus sustutensis, the first and only unique dinosaur to BC, the small but mighty exhibition is a true showcase of the breadth and depth of dinosaurs that once roamed the region.
Beyond looking at the variety of dinosaurs we have evidence of in BC, the exhibition also reflects the research, exploration and scientific discovery that goes into finding fossils.
Arbour’s fieldwork is a far cry from the dry desert digs so often depicted in film and television, and instead finds her more often than not on remote mountaintops accessible only by helicopter, wielding power tools while dodging inclement weather.
“I’m excited to share the adventure of searching for dinosaur fossils in some of the most remote and beautiful places in British Columbia,” says Arbour.
Dinosaurs of BC and Arbour’s ongoing contributions to palaeontology are just a small example of the research and active contributions to new knowledge that happen every day at the Royal BC Museum.
This exhibition is presented in both English and Braille and will be open on the second floor of the Royal BC Museum, today through January 7, 2024.
More information on Arbour’s work and the discovery of the museum’s resident Ferrisaurus sustutensis is available through the Learning Portal’s pathway Mountain Dinosaur of BC.
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About the Royal BC Museum: The Royal BC Museum explores the province’s human history and natural history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides a dynamic forum for discussion and a place for reflection. The museum and archives celebrate culture and history, telling the stories of BC in ways that enlighten, stimulate and inspire. Located in Victoria on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations), we are a hub of community connections in BC—on-site, off-site, and online—taking pride in our collective histories.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia opens June 2, 2023.
SUE: The T. rex Experience opens June 16, 2023.
Further Information
For tickets to IMAX® Victoria and the Royal BC Museum, including combo tickets for both attractions, visit: Tickets
Save with early bird pricing when you purchase a membership before April 30: Membership
For information about visiting the Royal BC Museum, visit: Plan Your Visit About the Royal BC Museum
