Bust in and meet Buster at the Dinosaurs of BC exhibit this summer at the Okanagan Heritage Museum.
The exhibit was held at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria but is now in Kelowna for the summer, thanks to funding from the Government of Canada and Chances Casino.
㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre just so excited to have it here,㽶Ƶֱ said Kelowna Museums Society㽶Ƶֱs curatorial manager Amanda Snyder in a media availability. 㽶ƵֱEveryone loves dinosaurs.㽶Ƶֱ
Included in the exhibit is Buster, a newly-discovered species of dinosaur, that was found along the railway near the Systut River near Smithers, in B.C. in the 1970s. Geologist Kenny Larsen found the fossil bones from a small, plant-eating dinosaur that was a distant cousin of the Triceratops.
In 2019, after examining the bones again, two Canadian paleontologists identified the bones as a dinosaur unique to B.C. - Ferrisaurus sustutensis, otherwise known as The Iron Lizard or Buster.
On top of the new dinosaur, there are many different dinosaur displays in the exhibit, including early versions of tyrannosauruses. There are also displays of tracks from the prehistoric creatures.
㽶ƵֱWe have a number of different trackways,㽶Ƶֱ added Snyder. 㽶ƵֱSome of the oldest fossils are from 145 million years ago.㽶Ƶֱ
The exhibit officially opened on June 6 and will be in Kelowna until Sept. 30. There will be a special opening on Saturday, June 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where children can dig real fossils.
During the four months it㽶Ƶֱs in town, there will be many programs for the public to enjoy including Dino-Sundays, activities for kids throughout the summer weeks, various speakers, and Wine-and-Dinos for adults.
READ MORE: Stanley Cup viewing party to take place at Kelowna㽶Ƶֱs Prospera Place
READ MORE: Annual golf ball drop drives donations for Central Okanagan Food Bank