Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre gets ready for “Reign of the Dinosaurs”

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre is preparing to host a film crew from the Discovery Channel again, for the second time in less than a year.  On Monday, April 18th a Discovery Channel crew will arrive at the centre (CFDC) to film content for an upcoming TV series titled “Reign of the Dinosaurs.”

Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

The purpose behind the visit of the Discovery Channel is to build the scientific components behind what is primarily an animated story on ancient mosasaurs and sharks.  This is the first time that the CFDC is being sought by a major media network to solidify the scientific components behind its wonderfully imaginative stories.  An expert in fossil videography is being brought in from the United States specifically for this project.

“Typically what’s occurred in these instances is that the Hollywood story tellers have referenced the marine reptile fossil collection that is present in the Kansas area” explains curator Anita Janzic.  “It is a great honour to be sought by the international media & scientific community as a valuable and noteworthy fossil resource centre.  This is further recognition of the high quality scientific work taking place at the CFDC!”

The “Reign of the Dinosaurs” series has been described by the network as “Avatar meets Jurassic Park”.  This presentation is slated to be a follow-up to their wildly successful Walking with Dinosaurs series and
combines the latest paleontological research with Hollywood storytelling and the talent of the world’s best dinosaur illustrators, animators and scientists.

Marine Reptiles on Display

Plesiosauria fossils on display at a museum. Museums often display marine reptiles alongside dinosaur exhibits. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Discovery Channel

The previous visit by the Discovery Channel was coordinated by its Daily Planet news show.  The film crew was present in the early summer of 2010 to film the preliminary excavation of what soon became a major Xiphactinus fish fossil discovery.  This segment involving the CFDC is set to air during the spring offering of the Daily Planet programme.

“The great thing about this scenario is that we’re able to offer a Discovery Channel type of experience to our average visitor.  Our Fossil Dig Adventure Tour programs have a 100% success rate in finding fossils since 2008.  The fossil resource in the Morden area is vast and exciting.  Our website contains great information on this unique adventure program.  We invite you to find out for yourself why we have the Discovery Channel returning year after year!” states general manager Tyler Schroeder.

Almost every CFDC story has a strong local connection and that remains true with this story.  World famous dinosaur animator, David Krentz has connections with the Phil Enns family from Winkler.  Mr. Krentz was a key component in having the CFDC included in this Hollywood production and is a huge fan of Canada’s largest marine reptile fossil collection in Morden, Manitoba (Canada).

To view models and replicas of prehistoric animals, fossils of which have been found in Canada: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.