Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Nova Scotia

Ancient reptile tooth to be displayed at Fundy Geological Museum

In Parrsboro this weekend, people can see a 200-million-year-old tooth belonging to a reptile that was discovered in Nova Scotia.

Tooth comes from Oligokyphus, an ancient ancestor of mammals

CBC News ·
The tooth and jaw fragment are from Oligokyphus, a small weasel-like animal that lived at the beginning of the Jurassic period. (Fundy Geological Museum)

There's a 200-million-year-old attraction this weekend at the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro as part of a sneak peek into a new exhibit opening in June.

People can see the tooth of a mammal-like reptile discovered in Nova Scotia called Oligokyphus, an ancient ancestor of mammals.

"It is the first time a fossil like this has been discovered in Nova Scotia," Tim Fedak, the director and curator of the museum, said in a statement. "Similar finds have been made in Jurassic-aged rocks in Arizona, China and the United Kingdom.

Fedak was the lead author of a recent publication in the Canadian Journal of Earth Science in which the discovery was described.

The animal is around 50 cm in length and resembled the modern-day weasel.  

The Fundy Geological Museum will be open during its summer hours this weekend.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|