Daspletosaurus torosus

Collectors' Tips

Fossils of dinosaurs and ancient mammals are extremely rare and valuable to science. There are very few places in North America where fossil collecting is even allowed. Even though you just might come across a Daspletosaurus torosus rib in some remote place in Alberta -- don't touch it! Tell the local authorities what you have found and they will contact the experts.

In the past, well-meaning but inexperienced collectors have done a lot of damage to fossils. Who knows? That bit of fossilized bone that you just happened to stumble across may well be the first evidence of a new, undiscovered dinosaur. By putting it in your pocket and taking it home, you will have removed a wonderful clue to how dinosaurs lived in prehistoric times.

Daspletosaurus torosus skull. Catalogue: CMNFV8506

The best place to find dinosaurs is a museum. There, these great beasts that lived from 225 to 65 million years ago find a new life. In North America alone there are several hundred museums with dinosaur specimens.

And, there are hundreds of public quarries and dinosaur parks where you can go to learn all about the fascinating world of dinosaurs. One of the best places is Canada's own Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, now a World Heritage Site. There is even a guidebook of where you can see dinosaurs: Daniel and Susan Cohen will help you out with their book Where To Find Dinosaurs Today. Look for it in your public library.

If you would like to assist in dinosaur fieldwork, several institutions accept paying volunteers. Some programmes accept people as young as five years old. Programmes include:

In Canada

• Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta

In United States

• The Dinosaur Society, Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts
• Boston Museum of Science, Boston, Massachusetts
• Dinamation International Corporation, San Juan Capistrano, California
• Earthwatch, Watertown, Massachusetts
• Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, California
• Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, Oregon
• Southwest Palaeontology Foundation, Albuquerque, New Mexico