Fossils from Canada

Canada has some of the most famous fossil sites in the world, spanning a wide range of ages and environments.

The Burgess Shale, in British Columbia, is probably the best known. This Middle Cambrian site is world-renowned for its exceptional preservation of soft-bodied organisms. Many of the fossils found here were unlike anything previously known, and helped reshape our understanding of early animal evolution. I highly recommend the book Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, if you want to read more on this site.

Dinosaur Provincial Park, in Alberta, is another iconic site. This Late Cretaceous formation has yielded hundreds of dinosaur specimens, including ceratopsians, hadrosaurs, tyrannosaurs, and ankylosaurs. Many are in remarkably good condition, and the area remains one of the richest dinosaur-bearing sites globally.

Further north, Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia has produced dinosaur trackways and skeletal material, including both ornithopods and theropods. It is a relatively recent discovery, with active research still ongoing.

Devil’s Coulee or Red Rock Coulee, in southern Alberta, is known for its dinosaur nesting sites — including fossilised eggs and embryonic remains, particularly of hadrosaurs. It offers a rare glimpse into dinosaur reproductive behaviour.

Eastend, in Saskatchewan, is associated with Late Cretaceous vertebrates, including Tyrannosaurus rex. The nearby T. rex Discovery Centre focuses on fossils from the region, and many important specimens have come from the area.

Canada’s fossil record is extensive, and much of it is exceptionally well preserved and studied. It continues to be a major centre for vertebrate palaeontology, particularly for Late Cretaceous material.

Canada