• Dinosaurs
• Badlands
• Animals, Birds & Flowers
• Snakes
• Natural Region
• History - John Ware

Dinosaurs

In the late Cretaceous Period (75 million years ago), the landscape was very different. The climate was subtropical, with lush forests covering a coastal plain. Rivers flowed east, across the plain into a warm inland sea.

• Tall cypress trees lined rivers teeming with fish, turtles, and crocodiles.
• Lush forests of sycamore and magnolia, along with ferns and mosses, provided food and homes for creatures including small mammals.
• About 100 kilometres east, the Bearpaw Sea's warm waters were filled with a variety of invertebrates, sharks, and marine reptiles.
• The skies were patrolled by flying reptiles, some with a wingspan wider than a small plane.
• An amazing group of animals called dinosaurs dominated the land.

The conditions were perfect for the preservation of dinosaurs' bones as fossils. After a century of excavations, over 150 complete dinosaur skeletons have been discovered. Disorganized concentrations of bones, called "bone beds", have also been discovered. Over 50 dinosaur species have been found here, joining a list of another 450 fossil organisms.

These ancient remains give us the world's most complete record of the late Cretaceous Period. Dinosaur Provincial Park has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Badlands

• Great rivers that flowed here 75 million years ago left sand and mud deposits.
• These deposits make up the valley walls, hills and hoodoos of modern day Dinosaur Provincial Park. 
• At the end of the last ice age (about 13,000 years ago), water from melting ice carved the valley where the Red Deer River now flows.
• Today, water from prairie creeks and run-off continues to sculpt the layers of these badlands.

Animals, Birds & Flowers

The distinct landscapes of Dinosaur Provincial Park (badlands, riverside and grasslands) host a unique diversity of plants and animals.

Towering cottonwood trees grow by the river where there is abundant water and fertile soil. The trees form a canopy, filtering heat and light. This living roof supports an understory that nurtures the moisture-loving residents of the forest floor. The narrow riverbank corridor (called the  riparian zone) creates ideal living spaces, especially for birds. Although the smallest habitat in the park, it hosts the greatest concentration of life.

Animals

• Watch for mule and white-tailed deer, as well as cottontail rabbits.
• Coyotes may be seen but are more often heard.
• Look for pronghorn antelope on the vast rolling prairie.

Snakes

• Learn about the snakes found at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Birds

• Birdwatching is excellent in May and June in the cottonwood groves. Warblers, woodpeckers and waterfowl are easy to observe.
• Scan the sky for golden eagles, prairie falcons and mountain bluebirds.
• 160 bird species can be seen in the park.
• Bird Checklist 

Plants

The three distinct habitats of Dinosaur Provincial Park support many plants.

• Cottonwood and willow trees share the moist riverbanks with saskatoon, rose and buffaloberry bushes.
• Cacti, greasewood and many species of sage survive in the hot, dry badlands.
• Prairie grasses dominate the landscape above the valley rim.
• Flora Checklist 

Grassland Natural Region & Dry Mixedgrass Subregion

Alberta's distinct landscapes are our Natural Regions. Each of the six Natural Regions is further divided into Subregions based on more specific landscape, climate and species distinctions.

Dinosaur Provincial Park preserves a representative sample of the environmental diversity of the Dry Mixedgrass Subregion of the Grassland Natural Region.

The Grassland Natural Region is characterized by cold winters, warm summers, high winds and low precipitation. The region is a flat to gently rolling plain with a few major hill systems. It is punctuated by exposed bedrock, carved sandstone cliffs, ancient boulders and other reminders of the last ice age.  Unique landscapes known as badlands exist where wind and water have carved the bedrock. Plants have adapted to the severe moisture shortage of mid-to-late summer.

Dinosaur Provincial Park is located in the  Dry Mixedgrass Subregion of the Grassland Natural Region. This is the warmest and driest subregion in Alberta. Permanent streams are relatively rare. The ones that do exist are deeply carved into the bedrock in some places. This has exposed Cretaceous shales and sandstones, creating extensive badlands in some areas.