Scotty the world’s largest T.rex at the T. rex Discovery Centre (TRDC) is getting a new friend — a Tylosaur.
Located in Eastend, Sask. the centre is putting finishing touches on the new Tylosaur exhibit. Doors will be open to visitors starting Saturday for the 2022 season.
“We are very happy with the new addition. You can definitely see the details, the teeth that he has and all the features that it has. So we are very happy that it is now part of the Pure Discovery Center,” Aimee Castillo, TRDC Visitor Experience Supervisor spokesperson said.
Tylosaurs were deadly hunters of the ancient seas ready to kill just about anything smaller, with jaws of death, lined on each side by two rows of pointed teeth.
Tylosaurs are a species of mosasaur, a large, predatory marine reptile closely related to modern monitor lizards and snakes.
“The specimen that we have is about ten metres long and it was discovered in the hills near around Lake Diefenbaker near Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park.”
An interesting fact about this specimen is that it was found with skeletal remains of another smaller mosasaur in its stomach.
The centre is also home to other paleontological exhibits, programs and events like the Paleo Lab Experience, which is an interactive area for visitors to engage with TRDC staff and learn about the research that is occurring at the Centre.
“Kids are able to dig their own fossils in our sandpit, and we also have a plaster pit so they can try for a more challenging excavation of fossils.”
The tylosaurs lived 72 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period in a large inland sea that covered most of Saskatchewan. The specimen at the TRDC is roughly 10 metres in length.
An interesting fact about this specimen is that it was found with skeletal remains of another smaller mosasaur in its stomach.
“The T.rex Discovery Centre is an amazing attraction and I encourage Saskatchewan residents to take the opportunity to check out Scotty and the rest of the Discovery Centre’s offerings,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross said. “This new Tylosaur display is just another example of the excellent work being done by our staff at the Discovery Centre and the RSM. There are fun-filled activities and programs for guests of all ages.”
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