Posts tagged with ‘paleontology’ (3)
Last week I got to spend a day out with paleontologist Grant Zazula and his two assistants. We spent about 10 hours walking over a creek bed in a gold mine that has yielded extraordinary fossil remains. This is a fully working gold mine, and the owner lets paleontologists explore freely. Grant promised a day filled with finding pre-historic bones, and he was right!
Early on in the morning I found a pre-historic bison horn (about 45 cm long) that Grant estimates is 25-30,000 years old! Later ...
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When dinosaur fossils survive the elements for millions of years, it’s outrageous to know that looters and vandals can destroy them in the span of a couple of hours.
Last week, a Hadrosaur dinosaur skeleton was smashed overnight in Peace Country, Alberta, the area’s fourth fossil crime in the past six weeks. The Hadrosaur, which was found on June 15 and partially prepared for display in the new Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in northern Alberta, was discovered shattered on July 5, robbing ...
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The day before leaving on my 1,500-km solo canoe trip, Grant Zazula, Yukon's paleontologist, gave me a lesson on how to toss a deadly atlatl.
What is an atlatl?
It's a hunting weapon that native hunters used to extend the kill zone when out stalking game.
A regular spear can only reach a limited distance, but by using an atlatl (a length of notched wood helps propel the spear) you can extend your range and force. Native hunters used these until the bow and arrow were discovered, but some ...
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