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
Wildfire that forced evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C., caused by tree falling on wires, mayor says
The wildfire that prompted the evacuation of more than 3,000 people near Fort Nelson, B.C., was caused by a tree falling on wires, according to the municipality's mayor.
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Eurovision Song Contest final kicks off after protests, backstage chaos and a contestant's expulsion
The final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Saturday in the Swedish city of Malmo after days of protests and offstage drama that have tipped the feelgood musical celebration into a chaotic pressure cooker overshadowed by the war in Gaza.
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.