ROM Fossils & Evolution kicks off #Fossil150!

Posted by: Marianne Mader & David Evans

ROM Fossils & Evolution kicks off #Fossil150 Campaign! This year will mark Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation. The year 2017 will be one of reflection and celebration of Canada’s rich cultural, linguistic, geographic- and geological- diversity. The Fossils & Evolution Centre, here at the Royal Ontario Museum, will reflect well beyond Canada’s 150 years by delving into its deep, 4 billion year past preserved in Canada’s unique fossil record. Canadian rocks host a wealth of incredible fossils from coast, to coast, to coast. Discover some the first signs of life on Earth, one of the earliest fish to swim the oceans, the largest trilobite ever found, remarkable dinosaurs, and even ancient grizzly bears!

Image: Dunkleosteus intermedius. Currently on display in Dawn of Life Preview Gallery.

Over the course of 2017, we’ll showcase 150 fossils on Twitter from our popular @ROMPalaeo account. Each tweet will highlight a fossil specimen from the ROM’s collection that has a significant connection to Canada, including remarkable specimens from some of Canada’s UNSECO World Heritage Sites. The ROM’s fossil collection is world-renowned, and ideally suited to telling a much bigger story about the evolution of life on Earth- from a uniquely Canadian perspective. The ROM houses famous collections of the first complex multicellular life from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, the explosion of early animal life recorded in the remarkable Burgess Shale located high in the Canadian Rockies, and, of course, our spectacular collection of dinosaurs from the badlands of Alberta.

Image: Kick-off tweet by @ROMPalaeo for #Fossil150 campaign.

Explore Canada’s deep geological past starting 4 billion years ago, from the Dawn of life on Earth, through the Age of Dinosaurs, up until the end of the Ice Age close to 12,000 years ago.

Join us on this journey through time by following @ROMPalaeo!