Dinosaur Provincial Park facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Dinosaur Provincial Park
Chasmosaurus belli, which was found in the Park, on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Location	County of Newell / Special Area No. 2, near Brooks Alberta
Area	73.29 square kilometres (28.30 sq mi)
Founded	1955
Governing body	Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation

IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Provincial Park of Alberta	1955


UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii, viii
Designated	1979 (3rd session)
Reference no.	71
Country	Canada
Region	Europe and North America

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Dinosaur Provincial Park is an amazing place in Alberta, Canada. It's about a two-hour drive east of Calgary or 48 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Brooks. This park is a special UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park is located in the Red Deer River valley. This area is famous for its cool badland landscape, which has unique rocky shapes. It's also known for having tons of dinosaur fossils! In fact, it's one of the best places in the world to find dinosaur fossils. Scientists have found 58 different dinosaur species here. More than 500 fossil pieces have been taken from the park and are now shown in museums all over the world. Because of all these incredible fossils, from tiny fern spores to huge meat-eating dinosaurs, the park became a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre
History of Dinosaur Provincial Park
Nature and Wildlife
- Park Geology
- Amazing Paleontology
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre

The Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre is a great place to start your visit. It has cool exhibits about dinosaurs, fossils, and the park's geology. You can also learn about the nature found here.

There's a video theater where you can watch films. There's also a fossil prep lab where you can see how scientists clean and prepare fossils. Don't forget to check out the gift shop for souvenirs! During the summer, the park offers special programs for visitors.

Near the visitor center, you can find John Ware's Cabin. This old cabin from the early 1900s belonged to John Ware. He was an important African-American cowboy in Alberta's history. The cabin is open on certain days in the summer.

History of Dinosaur Provincial Park

Dinosaur Provincial Park was created on June 27, 1955. This was part of Alberta's 50th birthday celebration. The main goal was to protect the amazing fossil beds found there. The first park warden was Roy Fowler, a farmer and amateur fossil hunter.

On October 26, 1979, the park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It earned this title for two big reasons. First, its badlands and riverside habitats are very important. Second, the fossils found there are important to the whole world.

For many years, any fossils found in the park had to be sent away. They went to museums around the world for study and display. Some went to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Others went to the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. Some even traveled to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. This changed in 1985 when the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology opened. This famous museum is only about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away in Drumheller.

Nature and Wildlife

Hoodoos are cool rock formations at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

The park protects a very special mix of natural areas. It has three main types of environments. These include wide open prairie grasslands, the unique badlands, and green riverside areas with cottonwood trees. Even though it's surrounded by prairies, the park has its own special ecosystem.

If you visit, you might hear coyotes howling at sunset. You can also hear nighthawks calling. Look closely, and you might see Cottontail rabbits hopping around. Mule deer and pronghorn are also common in the park. Be careful, as there are also prairie rattlesnakes, bull snakes, and red-sided garter snakes.

In spring and summer, over 165 types of birds visit. These include Curlews and Canada geese. You can also see some types of cactus that grow far north. These include Opuntia (prickly pear) and Pediocactus (pincushion). They bloom beautifully in late June.

Park Geology

The rocks you see in the badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park tell a long story. They were formed over about 1.5 million years. This happened during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous period. There are three different rock layers, called formations.

The oldest layer is the Oldman Formation, found at the bottom. On top of that is the Dinosaur Park Formation. This layer is where most of the complete dinosaur skeletons are found. It formed between 76.5 and 74.8 million years ago. Above that is the Bearpaw Formation. These layers were made by ancient rivers flowing into a large inland sea.

Amazing Paleontology

The badlands near the entrance of the park are full of fossils.

Dinosaur Provincial Park has an amazing variety of fossils from freshwater animals. These include different kinds of fish, like sharks and rays. There were also paddlefish, bowfins, gars, and other bony fish.

Amphibians found here include frogs and salamanders. There were also extinct creatures called albanerpetontids. Reptiles include lizards, many types of turtles, and crocodilians. The fish-eating Champsosaurus also lived here.

Fossils of mammals are rarer in the park. They are mostly tiny teeth or jaw pieces from mouse-sized animals. These include early placental, marsupial, and multituberculate mammals.

Plant fossils are also found in the park. These include fern leaves and wood from cypress-like conifers. There are also leaves from plants like Ginkgo, Cercidiphyllum, and Platanus. Scientists have also found many fossil pollen and spores.

The dinosaurs found in the park are incredibly diverse. Here are some of them:

Ceratopsia (Horned Dinosaurs)

Leptoceratops sp.
Centrosaurus apertus
Coronosaurus brinkmani
Styracosaurus albertensis
Pachyrhinosaurus
Chasmosaurus belli, C. russelli
Vagaceratops irvinensis

Hadrosauridae (Duck-billed Dinosaurs)

Corythosaurus casuarius
Gryposaurus notabilis, G. incurvimanus
Lambeosaurus lambei, L. magnicristatus
Prosaurolophus maximus
Parasaurolophus walkeri

Ankylosauria (Armored Dinosaurs)

Hypsilophodontidae (Small, Fast Dinosaurs)

Orodromeus

Pachycephalosauria (Dome-headed Dinosaurs)

Stegoceras

Tyrannosauridae (Large Meat-eating Dinosaurs)

Daspletosaurus torosus
Gorgosaurus libratus

Ornithomimidae (Ostrich-like Dinosaurs)

Ornithomimus
Struthiomimus
Rativates
new ornithomimid species A

Caenagnathidae (Bird-like Dinosaurs)

Chirostenotes pergracilis
Chirostenotes elegans
Chirostenotes collinsi

Dromaeosauridae (Raptor Dinosaurs)

Dromaeosaurus albertensis
Saurornitholestes
Hesperonychus elizabethae
?new dromaeosaur species A
?new dromaeosaur species B

Troodontidae (Smart, Bird-like Dinosaurs)

Troodon
new troodontid species A

Classification Uncertain

Ricardoestesia gilmorei

Other creatures like birds (such as Hesperornithiformes) and giant flying Pterosauria (like Quetzalcoatlus) also lived here. Tiny Stagodont marsupials, placentals, and multituberculate mammals scurried around the feet of these giant dinosaurs.