80,000-year-old mastodon star of newest exhibit at Halifax's Museum of Natural History
A new exhibit that is larger than humankind is making its way to the Museum of Natural History in Halifax.
"Age of the Mastodon" opens to the public on Saturday and is sure to have you looking up – way up.
"I think for many visitors who come to the exhibit, they're going to see the cast of the mastodon – a full-size cast made in Trenton, Ont., and brought here to the museum," said Jeff Gray, the curator of visitor experience and exhibits at the Museum of Natural History. "But there's so much more to see in this exhibit."
Pictured above is a mastodon skull that is featured in the Museum of Natural History's Age of the Mastodon exhibit. (SOURCE: Museum of Natural History)
The exhibit will feature a number of mastodon artifacts that were found in Nova Scotia, including some never-before-seen 80,000-year-old mastodon bones.
It also tells stories about the giant mammals, including what it was like when they were alive, what Nova Scotia was like during that time, and some of the factors that led to the demise of them.
Pictured above are mastodon teeth that are featured in the Museum of Natural History's Age of the Mastodon exhibit. (SOURCE: Museum of Natural History)
Gray says the bones were discovered three decades ago in the Milford Gypsum Quarry. Since then, they have been safely stored away at the museum, available only to researchers.
"The Nova Scotia Museum got a phone call from the National Gypsum Quarry where they had just found some tusks and large bones while they were cleaning out an ancient sinkhole near Milford," explained Gray.
"So that was 30 years ago that the museum started a large project and worked for multiple months – about eight or nine months – to collect and preserve the bones of this 80,000-year-old mastodon."
Pictured above is a mastodon spine that will be featured in the Museum of Natural History's Age of the Mastodon exhibit. (SOURCE: Museum of Natural History)
Also featured in the exhibit are items from the "Mastodon Mud Project" – where four tonnes of mud from the Milford mastodon dig were sent to 300 Nova Scotia schools.
Students were then tasked with going through the debris, where they found small specimens, including a rare, soft-body painted turtle hatchling, which is now at the Nova Scotia Museum.
Pictured above is the rare, soft-body painted turtle hatching, discovered by a student during the Mastodon Mud Project. (SOURCE: Nova Scotia Museum)
"All of that material was examined by students all over the province; they picked out all the small shells and all the little bits of bones and spruce cones," said Gray. "And some of those really exceptional fossils are on display as part of this exhibit."
The "Age of the Mastodon" exhibit is not only for those in the Halifax area, it will also be travelling around Nova Scotia.
"Both in the full form that you see here in Halifax... but also, we are working on developing some smaller mastodon exhibits that get shared to smaller communities that don't often have the opportunity to see something as great as Age of the Mastodon," said Gray.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
3 law officers serving warrant are killed, 5 wounded in shootout at North Carolina home, police say
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
'Shocked and concerned': Calgary principal charged with possession of child pornography
A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.
Health authority confirms cockroaches at B.C. hospital, insists they 'do not bite'
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is downplaying what staff describe as a cockroach infestation in a medical unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Toronto police arrest 12 people, lay 102 charges in major credit card fraud scheme
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Britney and Jamie Spears settlement avoids long, potentially ugly and revealing trial
Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears will avoid what could have been a long, ugly and revealing trial with a settlement of the lingering issues in the court conservatorship that controlled her life and financial decisions for nearly 14 years.
WATCH 'Double whammy': What happens if you don't file your taxes by the deadline
The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.