Rare BC dinosaurs are on display in Courtenay for the next few months.
BC isn’t known for dinosaurs, as most of the province was underwater millions of years ago. However, there have been some significant dinosaur fossils discovered in BC, and you can see them in Courtenay as part of a travelling exhibit.
The highlight is Buster the Iron Lizard, one of the first dinosaurs ever found in BC, north of Smithers in 1971. Buster was the first discovery of a new species, a rare plant-eater related to the iconic Triceratops. Its official name is Ferrisaurus sustutensis, which means “The Iron Lizard from the Sustut River” and references the railway line where it was discovered by geologist Kenny F. Larsen.
Buster is part of the Leptoceratopsid group, dinosaurs with big heads, deep jaws and parrotlike beaks, but they lacked the horns and frills of their more famous cousins.
The Dinosaurs of BC exhibit debuted last year at the Royal BC Museum and was extremely popular, . The Courtenay museum also features permanent displays of marine fossils, including the iconic 80-million-year-old elasmosaur found in the Puntledge River, which is now BC’s official fossil.
The exhibit runs until February 1.
