Peek inside the new dinosaur exhibit opening at UBC
It’s been roughly 66 million years since dinosaurs roamed the earth.
And when you see this fossil cast of a daspletosaurus in tight quarters – you wouldn’t want the gap between our times on this planet to be any closer.
“It’s impressive and it’s attractive for people to look at,” said Ryan Barker, a 13-year-old considering a future in paleontology, when asked by CTV News to describe the exhibit Tuesday. ““I think that it’s just quite dominating and interesting, and it attracts people’s attention, and puts possibly interest into earth sciences like paleontology and geology.”
The daspletosaurus is an older relative of the T-rex – perhaps the most famous and feared of the dinosaurs, featured in films like Jurassic Park.
There was no crying at UBC’s Pacific Museum of Earth on Tuesday, however, as kids in the university’s daycare program got a sneak peak ahead of the exhibit opening to the general public.
Just wide eyes – happy to take in these fearsome prehistoric predators.
“That’s what it should be about, right? They’ll be the next generation of paleontologists,” remarked Rod Bartlett, the fossil articulator who was among those building the 150-piece-plus fossil cast.
The exhibit is called Life at the Edge – and also explores the last days of the dinosaurs.
“A lot of us think that came about because of an asteroid, but really most of the damage done to the dinosaurs was because the asteroid threw up a big ash cloud, and actually caused a bit of a climate crisis for the dinosaurs, so I think that’s something that’s really relatable for a lot of us today,” noted Kitt Peacock, one of the exhibit’s organizers – drawing parallels to the climate change challenge our planet now faces.
The exhibit also features a smaller two-metre-long raptor – appearing to be pursued by the larger daspletosaurus.
“We’ve been waiting to get these skeletons in for quite a while,” said Kirsten Hodge, Pacific Museum of Earth director. “We’ve been planning the exhibit for just over a year. It’s the first tyrannosaur on UBC campus.”
The exhibit opens to the public July 2. Admission is on a donation basis so anyone can come to check it out at UBC’s Pacific Museum of Earth.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Frozen waffles recalled across Canada, U.S. over Listeria concerns
A U.S.-based food manufacturer that supplies frozen waffles to major grocery chains across North America has launched a voluntary recall over concerns its products carry the potential for illness.
'You are not my king,' Indigenous Australian senator yells at visiting King Charles
An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land as the royal visited Australia's parliament on Monday.
How an off-duty lifeguard found a missing 17-year-old in the ocean
It was a typical Wednesday evening for Noland Keaulana, who was fixing his truck at his grandparents’ house when he received an alert on his phone about a 17-year-old missing off the Honolulu coast.
Cubans struggle with an extended power outage and a new tropical storm
Cuba's widespread blackouts stretched into their fourth day as Hurricane Oscar crossed the island's eastern coast with winds and heavy rain.
'I regret leaving my cat there': Eastern Ontario cat rescue under investigation, allegations of abuse, neglect
A cat rescue southwest of Ottawa is under investigation after allegations of abuse, neglect and falsified medical records have surface.
Precedent-setting terrorism lawsuit trial begins in federal court after 15 years
After waiting 15 years, Canadian Abousfian Abdelrazik will finally get the chance to hold the federal government accountable for its alleged complicity which led to his imprisonment and torture in Sudan.
Search underway for hiker missing in northern B.C.
Mounties say a search is underway for an avid outdoorsman who has disappeared in the wilderness of northern British Columba.
Crowd in Egypt attacks a railway guard after 2 children are run over
Angry residents attacked a railway guard and his post in a town outside Cairo on Monday after a train ran over and killed two children crossing a train intersection that was closed to pedestrians, officials said.
opinion Seven ways to help you save on everyday expenses
In his column for CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the best ways to save on everyday expenses, to help you keep up with life and get back on top of your financial health.