UPDATE: Scotty the T.rex named Saskatchewan’s official fossil
It may be a tough choice between a T. Rex, a woolly mammoth or an ancient crocodile. Saskatchewan is voting to see which fossil it thinks best represents the province.
Until April 25, people can cast their vote online at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) website. Voting can also be done in person at the museum.
The new provincial fossil will be announced in May.
READ MORE: Scientists to drill into dinosaur-killing crater
All seven candidates represent fossils unearthed in Saskatchewan areas such as Eastend, Herschel, Carrot River, Kyle and Ponteix.
The candidates are as follows:
- “Mo” the Ponteix Long-necked Plesiosaur, a giant marine reptile;
- “Scotty” the Tyrannosaurus rex;
- “Kyle Mammoth”, a 12,000-year-old woolly mammoth;
- The Herschel Short-necked Plesiosaur, a marine reptile;
- The Brontothere, a rhino-like mammal;
- “Big Bert”, a 92 million year-old crocodile;
- Thescelosaur, a plant-eating dinosaur.
To discover more about each fossil, visit the RSM exhibit or its website. The museum in Regina is open daily from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. CT.
RSM is also orchestrating a competition which invites Grade 7 students in Saskatchewan to create and submit videos showing off their choices for provincial fossil. The deadline has been extended to April 25.
“It is great that the RSM has been able to facilitate province-wide engagement for this fun and exciting process,” said Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Mark Docherty.
“Not only will citizens help select a new emblem to represent our province, they will also discover many interesting facts about our palaeontological history.”