Creatures that time forgot
Travel back to the age of the dinosaur, and beyond, as the Victoria Palaeontology Society holds its 22nd Fossil Fair, Saturday and Sunday at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary.
Budding paleontologists can view a rich and diverse variety of ancient fossils of animals and plants, from the Cambrian period, 550 million years ago, to the end of the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago.
The fossils include dinosaur bones, ammonites, trilobites, corals, mollusks, insects, giant palm leaves and microscopic fossils.
On Sunday, visitors will be treated to a special display of exceptionally well-preserved 80-million-year-old ammonites and clams from Hornby Island by one of the members of the society.
The Fossil Fair is an educational experience for all age groups and visitors are invited to bring in fossils for identification. There will be display cases and storyboards used for presentations to school groups, youth camps and other organizations that will be of interest to school teachers and other educators.
Activities for children include a fossil scavenger hunt with prizes, fossil colouring, rubbings, stampings and looking at specimens through microscopes.
The society co-operates with professional paleontologists undertaking research.
Find out about some of the scientific contributions made by members, including the discovery and naming of new species. All scientifically important fossils are donated to the Royal British Columbia Museum.
The society is a member of the British Columbia Paleontological Alliance.
Admission to the fair is by donation.
It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd.
For more information, go to vicpalaeo.org.