New mosasaur fossil gets companion display at Manitoba museum

At the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, they call the latest star attraction ‘Suzy,’ and she was 80 million years in the making.

Executive Director Peter Cantelon says the process of placing Suzy in the exhibit was long and that the fossils were sent away to have replicas made.

“We create the replicas so we can suspend it more easily without ruining the integrity of the fossils and putting them at risk,” Cantelon says.

With the arrival of Suzy, the CFDC had to re-name the exhibit originally known as the Bruce Gallery. It’s now called Mosasaur Hall.

“When people enter Mosasaur Hall they’ll see an apex predator,” Cantelon says. “The greatest predator that’s ever roamed the seas, that had a steady diet of everything it could get its teeth into, including sharks.”

Cantelon adds very few museums are fortunate enough to have one exhibit of the quality and size of Bruce or Suzy.

“To have them both really showcases Manitoba, and the treasures of Manitoba.”

Suzy’s skeleton is more than nine metres long, while Bruce holds the Guinness World Record as the largest mosasaur on display at just over 13 metres.

Agencies/Canadajournal