Remains of Largest Sea Reptile Now on Display in Manitoba

Bruce the mosasaur was found in Thornhill, just outside Morden, Man., in a farmer's field in 1974. The now-extinct sea reptile is on display in Manitoba and considered the largest in the world. ( John WoodséCanadian Press

Bruce, Manitoba's famous ancient sea creature, has just become the largest of its kind on display anywhere in the world.

The 13.10-metre-long mosasaur, a now-extinct marine reptile, had been known as the largest in Canada, but recent comparative research has revealed his status is global, in terms of fossils on public display.

The research was done by the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) in Morden, Man., where Bruce's fossils and a full-scale reproduction are on display.

“We knew Bruce was big, we knew he was the biggest in Canada, but we had never done a comparative analysis against other exhibited mosasaur throughout North America and the rest of the world,” said CFDC executive director Peter Cantelon.

“After doing a little research and consulting with mosasaur expert and Royal Tyrrell Museum palaeontologist Dr. Takuya Konishi, it turned out Bruce was even more significant than we realized.”
To celebrate, Bruce will be presented with a "World’s Largest Mosasaur" medal made by children from the CFDC’s Dino Day Camp.

The presentation will occur on Bruce's 80,000,040th birthday, on July 26, at noon.

The CFDC is encouraging everyone to visit Bruce and join in the birthday celebrations. There will be free cake at noon, face painting, water balloon toss and all activities for children throughout the day