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Admission hours
May 19
Victoria Day
10:00 - 17:30
May 20
3rd Tuesday Nights Free
10:00 - 20:30
May 21
10:00 - 17:30
May 22
10:00 - 17:30
May 23
10:00 - 17:30
May 24
10:00 - 17:30
May 25
10:00 - 17:30
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Breadcrumb

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  4. Dawn of Life

Willner Madge Gallery
Dawn of Life

Location

Level 2,
Dawn of Life Gallery
2
ROM Map Level 2

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Included with admission
Free for Members—Learn More
Book Tickets
An artist's illustration of an ancient sea scape teeming with life. An artist's illustration of an ancient sea scape teeming with life. Burgess Shale illustration

This illustration, reconstructed from the exquisite fossils found at the Burgess Shale, offers a window into the hustle and bustle of the Cambrian seas, about 506 million years ago. Illustration by Marianne Collins, ©Royal Ontario Museum.

Location

Level 2,
Dawn of Life Gallery
2
ROM Map Level 2

Admission

Included with admission
Free for Members—Learn More
Book Tickets

The first gallery of its kind in North America brings the dawn of life to life.

How old is life itself? When did we come from? How did life suddenly begin? Did all life begin the same? Has this happened before? What evolutionary changes shaped the world we know today? 

Every answer uncovers more questions.

Take an epic journey back — about 4 billion years — to the origins of life on our planet. Enter ROM's exciting new gallery and explore, through one of the world's most astounding fossil collections, the wondrous beginnings and devastating extinctions that have shaped our planet, from the dawn of life up to the age of dinosaurs.

It's an astonishing timeframe — and some of the planet's oldest evolutionary stories are preserved in the rocks of lands now known as Canada, including special locations designated today as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Most of the history of life is recorded in the rocks of Canada, and the gallery showcases fossils from all Canadian provinces and territories. As you enter, one of the oldest rocks on Earth is displayed, estimated to be between 3.7 and 4.2 billion years old. Discovered in northern Québec, it contains the oldest evidence of life known to science.

Fossils are Earth's memories. No other country in the world can claim to have such an extraordinary record of early life, and no other museum has ever presented these treasures together in a single display.
Jean-Bernard Caron
Richard Ivey Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology

About

Nearly 1,000 fossil specimens, from tiny trilobites to colossal sea-scorpions, are showcased in the almost 10,000 square-foot gallery. Animations and colourful reconstructions bring long-extinct specimens back to life, making connections between the amazing fossils we see today and what they looked like at the time they lived on Earth. Interactives provide engaging, hands-on learning about Canada's incredible fossil record, and immersive digital technologies invite visitors to witness early life as it may have appeared in its original, ancient environment.

Experience an unparalleled journey through wonders past, and explore what they tell us about our present, and future.

The Beginning of Everything: Dawn of Life

About The Gallery

What?

Almost 1,000 fossil specimens — more than 60% of them Canadian — represent the dawn of life on our planet. Artist reconstructions, interactives and digital technologies help us understand the staggering evolutionary journey reflected in our fossil record. And "evolutionary game changers", key moments in the story of life on Earth, help us understand more about the world we know today.

Where?

Earth's lands and seas, with special emphasis on the fossil record of Canada. Exceptional Canadian fossil deposits of great scientific significance, four of which are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are represented in the gallery. Each of these UNESCO fossil sites provide extraordinary fossil evidence of major intervals in life history, from oldest to youngest: Mistaken Point (Newfoundland and Labrador), the Burgess Shale from Yoho and Kootenay National Parks (British Columbia), Miguasha National Park (Québec) and Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Nova Scotia).

When?

About 4 billion years — the Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician-Silurian-Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic periods.

Gallery Highlights

An artist's illustration of an ancient sea scape teeming with life. An artist's illustration of an ancient sea scape teeming with life. Burgess Shale illustration

This illustration, reconstructed from the exquisite fossils found at the Burgess Shale, offers a window into the hustle and bustle of the Cambrian seas, about 506 million years ago. Illustration by Marianne Collins, ©Royal Ontario Museum.

01
Gallery entrance, showing rock mounted on a wall and a cast of a prehistoric fish. Gallery entrance, showing rock mounted on a wall and a cast of a prehistoric fish. Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life | Image ©Royal Ontario Museum.

view of a gallery space showing a large rock mounted on a wall behind a cast of a prehistoric fish.

02
Experience an unparalleled journey through wonders past, and explore what they tell us about our present, and future. Experience an unparalleled journey through wonders past, and explore what they tell us about our present, and future. Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life

Gallery display showing a large fossilized creature.

03
Hallucigenia sparsa is one of the strangest animals of the Burgess Shale. This worm-like animal had distinctive paired spines and elongated legs, and probably used its tiny claws to climb on surfaces like sponges. Hallucigenia sparsa is one of the strangest animals of the Burgess Shale. This worm-like animal had distinctive paired spines and elongated legs, and probably used its tiny claws to climb on surfaces like sponges. Hallucigenia sparsa, of the Burgess Shale

Dual image of a fossilized creature with pairs of spines on its back, and an artist's interpretation of the same creature shown on a white background.  (Illustration) Danielle Dufault.

04
The first gallery of its kind in North America brings the dawn of life to life The first gallery of its kind in North America brings the dawn of life to life Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life

Children interacting with a gallery touchscreen in front of a curved wall display of fossils.

05
Kootenayscolex barbarensis, is a new species of marine worm which was recently discovered by ROM researchers at the Burgess Shale. This worm used its flexible body and bristles to crawl along the seafloor. Kootenayscolex barbarensis, is a new species of marine worm which was recently discovered by ROM researchers at the Burgess Shale. This worm used its flexible body and bristles to crawl along the seafloor. Kootenayscolex barbarensis (Fossil) Jean-Bernard Caron; (Paleoart) Danielle Dufault.

Dual image of a fossil of a creature with bristles, and an artist's interpretation of the same creature shown on a blue background. Jean-Bernard Caron; (Paleoart) Danielle Dufault.

06
Gallery display showing an artist's rendition of an underwater scene. Gallery display showing an artist's rendition of an underwater scene. Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life | Image ©Royal Ontario Museum.

Colorful reconstruction of an artist's rendition of an underwater scene.  Display cases are in front of the large mural

07
Full sized, bronze cast of a Dunkleosteus. Full sized, bronze cast of a Dunkleosteus. Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life | Image ©Royal Ontario Museum.

View in a gallery of a large bronze cast of a fish.  

08
Welcome to an ancient, watery world... Where bizarre animals slip through the seas. Welcome to an ancient, watery world... Where bizarre animals slip through the seas. Watery world, Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life

People viewing a curved, panoramic artist's interpretation of an ancient underwater sea.

09

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