The Fossil corner hosts some of the most unique and well preserved specimens from our collection, as well as a stunning collection of local fossils from British Columbia on loan from the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society or VIPS.
Visit or book a tour for you or your school to touch a real dinosaur bone and learn about fossils and how they are preserved.
Some of PME’s own specimens.
A selection of excellent specimens on loan from the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society.
The fossil corner in our Google interior StreetView of PME’s main gallery.
Are all fossils so “perfect”?
What does a more “normal” specimen look like? Here is a sample of rock with many fragments of trilobites. The species is known but not identified here since this specimen is interpreted by students in a UBC lab course. Trilobites are so cool! See also wikipedia, or a fabulous, extensive website all about trilobites.
Note how we examine carefully, looking at the rock itself, the layering of the sediments, the back side, and studying shapes and the 3D nature of each fragment.
Next, here is a front view of the same rock with fossil fragments, shown at somewhat higher resolution. NOTE the little blue annotation markers – click each for more details!
Same idea – now with graptolite fossils:
And here is a different sample of rock with fossilized specimens of a similar species:
