It’s sometimes hard to imagine the world as it was millions of years ago - with much larger land masses and dinosaurs dominating every corner. There were so many different species that palaeontologists (the scientists that study dinosaurs) are still learning about lots of them. New findings are constantly being published in journals, and they inform countless ‘walking with dinosaurs’ theatre shows, TV programmes, films and books. Let’s take a look at six dinosaurs that could be found in modern day Alberta in Canada. 

Pachyrhinosaurus

Pachyrhinosaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur that lived in Alberta. It was a ceratopsian dinosaur - a distant relative of the more famous Triceratops. It’s thought that the creature was about five metres in length and weighed two tonnes, but unlike Triceratops, it didn’t have a nose horn. Instead, it had a bony structure called a ‘boss’ on its snout. Pachyrhinosaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous period, around 74-68 million years ago.
 

Edmontosaurus

Canada’s Alberta province was also home to another large herbivore during the Late Cretaceous: the Edmontosaurus. This duck-billed dinosaur measured 13 metres in length and weighed over three tonnes. It ate hard conifer needles, twigs and seeds, which it ground down with its many teeth.   
 

Albertosaurus

The aptly named Albertosaurus was first discovered in Alberta. This fearsome creature was a close relative of Tyrannosaurus, but was smaller, measuring nine metres and weighing 1.5 tonnes. Living 76-74 million years ago, it feasted on plant-eating dinosaurs, munching them with around 80 banana-shaped teeth.  

Atrociraptor

Discovered by a fossil hunter in 1995 and named in 2004, Atrociraptor was a relative of the better-known Velociraptor. It’s thought to have lived around 69 million years ago and was quite small - perhaps only two metres long. Only a jaw bone and tooth remains have been found of this species, but it’s assumed that it probably had feathers, since other dinosaurs of the same type - called dromaeosaurs - did.  
 

Styracosaurus

Another Triceratops-like dinosaur, Styracosaurus had neck frills and a nose horn. Fossils show it also had spikes on its frill, making it quite a formidable sight. It was larger than Pachyrhinosaurus, weighing in at 2.7 tonnes and measuring 5.5 metres in length, but had a similar diet of low-growing plants. The first ever fossil of this Late Cretaceous dinosaur was discovered in 1913.
 

Struthiomimus

An ostrich-like dinosaur with a long tail, Struthiomimus was adapted for rapid movement on its strong hind legs. It’s thought to have been omnivorous (eating plants and small animals) and lived alongside the other dinosaurs listed here, in the Late Cretaceous. It was around four metres long and weighed 150kg, with a toothless, horny beak and three-toed feet. 

Discover dinosaurs

If you’re searching for ‘dinosaur attractions near me’ this summer, don’t miss the UK tour of Dinosaur World Live. This stunning theatre show takes you walking with dinosaurs live on stage, introducing the whole family to some roarsome prehistoric creatures. Check out tour dates and venues online and book with your local theatre.