HISTORY® DIGS INTO CANADA’S PREHISTORIC PAST WITH NEW ORIGINAL SERIES DINO HUNT CANADA
Four-part miniseries airs Fridays on HISTORY Canada, beginning January 30
ROM uncovers a brand new dinosaur species during filming of Dino Hunt Canada
Dino Hunt Canada interactive website launches today where Canadians can name newly discovered dinosaur
For Immediate ReleaseTORONTO, December 15, 2014 – Through an exciting multi-platform experience, HISTORY travels coast-to-coast with Canada’s top palaeontologists to uncover how dinosaurs lived – and died – right here at home. Premiering January 30 at 9 pm ET/PT, Dino Hunt Canada tells the story of six teams of Canadian fossil hunters who discover some of the most important dinosaur finds in the world, including a homegrown group that unearths a previously undiscovered species of dinosaur. Viewers can extend their experience by visiting DinoHunt.ca, the home for behind-the-scenes access to the world-class palaeontological research and fieldwork happening in their own backyards. At DinoHuntCanada.ca Canadians can make history by naming a newly discovered dinosaur skeleton.
“At HISTORY Canada, we are passionate about bringing history – especially Canadian – to life through exciting programming. With Dino Hunt Canada, we’ve done that and more by unveiling new Canadian history,” said Christine Shipton, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media. “With four hours of captivating programming and a fun and experiential online environment for all things dinosaur, Dino Hunt Canada gives Canadians multiple ways to experience one of our country’s earliest moments in history.”
Dino Hunt Canada follows Canadian palaeontologists who are hunting for fossils in the richest rocks on the planet. Their expeditions take viewers to some of the most stunning locations in Canada, from the red sandstones of Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy to the craggy moonscape of the Canadian Badlands in Alberta. In the first episode, a team of palaeontologists led by Dr. David Evans from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) search for the skull bones of what turns out to be a previously unknown horned dinosaur.
The Dino Hunt Canada digital experience provides Canadians with a fun and engaging, cross-platform glimpse into this new dinosaur’s complete journey beginning with the discovery of the fossils in Alberta, through scientific study and restoration via a live-streaming online feed running directly from the ROM’s Dino Lab, all the way to its eventual reconstruction and public display in the ROM. The website also offers users the opportunity to Ask an Expert – one-on-one access to the palaeontologists and experts from the miniseries, and learn more about Canada’s rich dinosaur history through the Dino Index’s 3D dino models with added images and encyclopedic text. Through an online contest starting today, Canadians have the chance to “Name Our Dino.” To enter the contest, dino lovers should visit www.DinoHunt.ca.
The newly discovered dinosaur will be on display in the New Dino Unearthed exhibition, opening to the public during the ROM’s Dinos Invade! Big Weekend on January 24 and 25. The exhibition will feature a cast of the newly discovered, never-before-seen dinosaur, as well as information that takes visitors into the field where Dr. David Evans made this groundbreaking discovery. During Dinos Invade! weekend, dino lovers will feel like they’re in the field with ROM palaeontologists as they explore big ideas about dinosaurs in the ROM’s learning laboratories and ask real ROM “Dino Hunters” everything and anything about these ancient beasts.
In the last century, nearly 1,000 dinosaur skeletons have been found in Canada, with more being discovered every year. Canada is one of the best places in the world to trace the evolutionary story of dinosaurs – from their first steps to the peak of their diversity and to their ultimate extinction. Scientists know that a big discovery in Canada can change the way the entire scientific community understands the prehistoric world.
Dino Hunt Canada was produced by Cream Productions in association with Shaw Media. The Dino Hunt Canada interactive experience was developed by Secret Location, in association with Shaw Media and Cream Productions.
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SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
HISTORY on Twitter: @historytvcanada
HISTORY on Facebook: facebook.com/Historytvcanada
ROM on Twitter: @ROMPalaeo, @ROMToronto
ROM on Facebook: facebook.com/royalontariomuseum
Hashtag: #DinoHunt