hi fellow travelers today we're going to the Courtenay district museum but first we're making
a stop at the comox visitors information center let's go explore this award-winning
the visitors center acts as a gateway to the comox valley where visitors can learn
about the coastal industries that support the economy as well as the regional attractions and
tourism opportunities available in the central and northern Vancouver island
this unique building was designed with consideration for the sensitive habitat of
the roy creek watershed that lies just west of the building and includes a number of eco-friendly and
innovative features including a green roof that improves insulation and air quality an outdoor
reflection pool that captures storm runoff and an indoor water feature that supports passive cooling
outside the center visitors can see a ct-114 tutor aircraft this aircraft is known as the icon of
the royal Canadian air force and is best known as the type of aircraft used by the snowbirds
a Canadian air demonstration squadron each spring the snowbirds migrate from Moosejaw
Saskatchewan to here in comox where they practice for the performances of precision flight the east
coast of Vancouver island has been home to the comox first nations for thousands of years and
as a place traditionally referred to as the land of plenty at the visitor center you'll see some
samples of the traditional comox culture including a welcome arch dugout canoe and ceremonial masks
this coastal area sustained their traditional diet which included salmon herring pod octopus
shellfish seal and deer today this area is prized for its outdoor adventures
and is a popular destination for hiking camping and mountain bike riding or if
you're up for some aquatic adventures why not try kayaking sport fishing or you could do some whale
watching
in the winter there's lots of opportunities for snow-based activities like skiing and
snowshoeing the mount washington alpine resort area receives over
11 meters of snow each year making it the deepest natural snowpack in Canada
but this exhibit warns adventurers to watch out for tree wells
here's some information on the endangered Vancouver island marmot
this preserved marmot is one of only two on display in Canada
nearby Courtenay British Columbia is known as a hotbed for finding dinosaur fossils
let's head up to the Courtenay and district museum and paleontology center now
now we're at the Courtenay district museum and paleontology center let's go inside and explore
the museum is housed in a historic heritage post office building located in downtown Courtenay
millions of years ago Vancouver island was submerged under a warm saltwater sea
which provided an excellent home for prehistoric marine life
shifting tectonic plates and glacial erosion have revealed some of the 80 million year old sea floor
providing a fantastic opportunity for the discovery of aquatic dinosaur fossils
the first major discovery occurred in 1988 when resident mike trask discovered
the first fossil of an 80 million year old Elasmosaurus on the banks of the Puntland river
the Elasmosaur measures an incredible 13 meters long and was the first of its kind
to be discovered in British Columbia as well as the first of its kind west of the canadian rockies
months of careful excavation revealed a near-complete skeleton of this dinosaur
and these original bones as well as a replica model are on display at the Courtenay and
district museum and paleontology center just a few years later another skeleton was uncovered
this one turned out to be a new kind of mosasaur that was unique because of its two extra rows of
razor-like teeth as exploration continues other new types of species are still being discovered
including sea turtles vampire squids and multiple species of octopods
or these adorable dumbo octopus which live in the
deep ocean and use their ear-like fins to propel themselves through the water
and here's the skeleton of the hadrosaur which is known as the duckbill dinosaur
these herbivores were commonly found throughout western Canada during the late cretaceous period
it's pretty cool to find such an amazing collection of fossils in a local museum
and is something that you must check out if you're in the area
and while you're at the museum you can stop by and meet a living fossil this is slugzilla the
african lungfish lungfish are the only living fish that have both lungs as well as gills
and they need these because they live in small lakes and rivers which sometimes dry up
requiring them to use their lungs to survive some varietals of lungfish are over 100 million
years old making it a living fossil and one of the oldest living vertebrates on the planet
the museum is also putting together a new exhibit on geology and minerals
and we got to see a quick demo of how some minerals fluoresce under black light
and when you're done checking out dinos you can head upstairs and see some of the other exhibits
on site including first nations artifacts the history of Courtenay during colonial times
as well as other rotating exhibits
thanks for exploring the Courtenay and district museum with us
we're heading out on another adventure soon so if you like this video please remember to like