REGINA, Sask. – Fans of those Jurassic creatures that roamed the earth in prehistoric days will enjoy what is planned for the Royal Saskatchewan Museum this month.
November is Dinovember at the museum, with a number of activities and special features planned for those visiting the museum.
Among the events planned is the "Dinosaur or Not?" scavenger hunt which challenges visitors on which prehistoric animals are dinosaurs and which are not.
Also offered is the Discovery Hunt, where kids are able to compare fossils and specimens to see what makes an animal a dinosaur.
There is the Star of the Week, which the museum states will make a special stop at one of their dinosaur or dinosaur-related displays. Kids are being encouraged to look out for the star to find out which dinosaur is in the spotlight, and get a handstamp.
The museum is also offering the Jurassic Park Audience Adventure on Friday, Nov. 20. That will include an interactive screening of the original Jurassic Park the original Jurassic Park with call and response cubes, theme props, playful science corrections and some surprises as well, according to the province.
Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Alana Ross got a look at some of the exhibits at a media event Monday at the museum, including the "Dinosaur or Not?" display.
Among the items on display was a skull from a mosasaur, which according to the museum is “not” a dinosaur.
“Lots of people think that the marine reptile Mosasaur is a dinosaur,” said Rebecca Hay, Earth Science Program Specialist.
“And it has ‘saur’ in the name, but it is in fact not a dinosaur. Dinosaurs are terrestrial and Mosasaurs were a marine or an ocean dwelling reptile, lived at the same time as things like T- Rex, but not a dinosaur.”
Also displayed was a tooth from a mastodon, also not a dinosaur as it was a mammal.
Also shown was a fossil of a dodo bird. According to the museum it could qualify as a dinosaur as well, as birds as now considered dinosaurs or dinosaur-related.
Minister Ross also was shown a shield or a big frill triceratops piece that was uncovered recently by the museum.
Wes Long, the collections manager for paleontology in Saskatchewan, said it was found in Grasslands National Park in 2025 during an event called Fossil Fever that they take part in with the with the National Park.
“We were pretty excited because what we've been digging up in that dig site is a edmontosaurus or a large duck-billed dinosaur,” Long said.
“And then all of a sudden this big bone turns up in there that's part of a young triceratops. So we're really hoping that there's more of the animal in there because the bone is beautifully preserved. And it's a really nice dig site to work in because it's nice soft sand. So preparation of the fossil moves quite rapidly. It only took 10 days to prepare that entire fossil.”
Minister Ross told reporters that Dinovember is an “opportunity to learn about our history in Saskatchewan. And what I've learned since coming to the museum, it is a fascinating history. And I've learned that we have all different types of dinosaurs. Like we have some that are herbivores. We have some that are carnivores. We have some that are ocean species.
“And it speaks to what the prehistoric times, what type of land we had in this place. And in my understanding is Saskatchewan's are quite unique. We're one of the few that has had so many different types of terrains and the topography in our country. So it's quite fascinating.”
Of course in addition to these special features, visitors will be greeted by the display with the main attraction of the museum: Scotty the T-Rex.
Visitors can find out more about exhibits and events at: www.royalsaskmuseum.ca.
