Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

Eighty million years ago the Western Interior Seaway covered this part of Manitoba, and the shale left behind is dense with marine reptiles. Bruce, excavated near Morden between 1974 and 1975, is a Tylosaurus mosasaur about thirteen metres long, recognised by Guinness as the largest mosasaur on public display anywhere. The centre holds the largest collection of marine reptile fossils in Canada, including plesiosaurs, giant fish and sharks, plus the ammonites and squid the mosasaurs ate. Public dig programmes run in summer, and participants have found significant specimens, which are kept by the museum rather than the finder.

What to look for

• Bruce the mosasaur - a thirteen-metre marine reptile, the largest displayed.
• The seaway collection - plesiosaurs, sharks and fish from the inland sea.
• The prep lab - technicians cleaning shale off new material.
• The public digs - summer programmes excavating in the local shale.

When to go

May to September for full hours and the dig programmes, which need booking; the centre is open year-round with reduced winter hours. Digs run in fair weather only.

Good to know

The centre is small and in a basement space, modest next to the big dinosaur museums. Digs are weather-dependent and finds belong to the museum. Morden is off most routes.

Nearby

Winkler lies east; the International Peace Garden is west.

Key facts