In this brief article I share some palaeontology videos I came across online by Brandy Yanchyk exploring palaeontology and fieldwork in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta Canada.

Dino Trails Palaeontology in Alberta

The Dino Trails series is a fantastic set of videos breaking down fieldwork and palaeontological discoveries in Dinosaur Provincial Park, a hot bed for dinosaur discoveries in Alberta, Canada. These videos were filmed in 2017 by Brandy Yanchyk and follow renowned palaeontologist Professor Phil Currie and other renowned palaeontologists who have been working on research in the Dinosaur Provincial Park area.

I was really fortunate enough to have some email correspondence with Professor Phil Currie a few years back when I was looking to pursue palaeontology as a career. He gave me some excellent advice about what qualifications I needed, the types of jobs available and whether it was something I was serious about pursuing.

The Badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park. Image credit: Dinosaur Provincial Park UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2022.

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the richest fossil localities of dinosaurs in the world with major dinosaurs like Corythosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex and many more being identified from Alberta.

Albertosaurus replica model in the Cretaceous Alberta exhibit at The Royal Tyrrell Museum. Image credit: Royal Tyrell Museum, 2022.

The Dino Trails video all feature fieldwork, interviews, fossil discussion and more, you can check out each individual video out listed below. There are two seasons, and the videos aren’t that long between 10-17 minutes at a maximum which is ideal if you don’t have much time available to watch a full dinosaur documentary.

The videos are very well filmed and break down palaeontology in an easy-to-understand way, whilst detailing the geological and historical importance of Canadas dinosaur bonebed deposits. If you haven’t seen these videos already, they are all well worth checking out!

Season 1 of Dino Trails

Dino Trails Episode 1- The Dinosaur Expert

In Episode 1 Professor Phil Currie talks about his passion for dinosaurs and how he is inspiring the next generation of palaeontologists in Canada.

Dino Trails Episode 2 – The Royal Tyrrell Museum

In Episode 2 dinosaur enthusiast Bill Bloss talks about his passion for fossil hunting and the important research of the Royal Tyrell Museum is shown.

Dino Trails Episode 3 – The Fossil Hunter

In Episode 3 fossil hunter Wendy Sloboda talks about her fossil discoveries and passion for palaeontology. We are also introduced to her dinosaur Wendiceratops housed at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Dino Trails Episode 4 – Northern Alberta’s Dinosaur Discoveries

In Episode 4 explore dinosaur footprints in a coal mine in Grande Cache and learn about how the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum was founded.

Dino Trails Episode 5 – British Columbia’s Dinosaur Frontier

In Episode 5 explore British Colombia to see dinosaur footprints at Six Peaks Dinosaur Track Site and discover new fossils found at Tumbler Ridge.

Fossil Hunting and Fieldwork

As you can imagine the above videos have really sparked my desire to do a lot more fieldwork. Fieldwork experience overseas has always been something I have really wanted to pursue and these videos above have just fuelled this passion even more!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and watching these fantastic palaeontology videos from filmmaker Brandy Yanchyk. The YouTube series really does emphasise the importance of palaeontology and how new fossil discoveries are changing our views of dinosaurs and the environments that dinosaurs lived in.

As seen in Dino Trails S1 Episode 3 the skeleton of the ceratopsian Wendiceratops pinhornensis named after fossil hunter Wendy Soloboda in 2010 and housed at the Royal Ontario Museum. Image credit: Royal Ontario Museum, 2022.

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Published by James Ronan

James is a UK-based vertebrate palaeontologist and science communicator with an MSc in Palaeobiology from the University of Bristol. He studies fossils, explores the past, and brings palaeontology to life through engaging outreach. His mission? To spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and make palaeontology an unforgettable experience. You can follow James on Twitter @ThePalaeoMinute.

2 thoughts on “Palaeontologist Insights: Dino Trails Video Series Unveiling Dinosaur Discoveries in Alberta”

  1. Dear James
    What a coincidence, we just blogged about Mary Anning the great fossil hunter. She collected fossils from the Jurassic periode at the Jurassic coast.
    As you surely know an important find was just made in the Rutland Reserve. It will be dug out this coming summer. It already got its nick name ‘the Dragon of Rutland’.
    Thanks for introducing us to the Dino Trail we had never heard about before.
    Keep well
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Klausbernd,

      Thanks for commenting! That’s really great to hear, I’ll have to check your article out. Yeah Mary Anning was a brilliant palaeontologist. Yes, I saw on the News about the Rutland Ichthyosaur, a pretty incredible fossil discovery, especially so far inland.

      Thank You, yeah I stumbled on Dino Trails a while ago when I was searching for palaeontology content and really enjoyed the videos so thought I would share them here.

      Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoy the rest of the blog!

      Best Wishes,

      James

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