Fundy Treasures

 Joggins, Nova Scotia, Canada 


          Nova Scotia's Newest Fossil Discovery!

We’d like to introduce you to Dendromaia Unamakiensis, Brian Hebert's exciting new fossil discovery which was recently published in the prestigious Journal of Nature.

Dendromaia means “Tree Mother” and Unamakiensis is the traditional Mi’kmaq word for Cape Breton for where it was found.

This is a unique find due to the fact there is a juvenile fossilized right next to her. They both look like modern day lizards and were fossilized inside a hollowed our tree 309 million years ago near Sydney, Cape Breton.

The fossil represents what could be the oldest evidence In the world of parental care in amniotes (the first animals that were able to lay eggs on land).

Brian has been collaborating with Dr. Hillary Madden and the Earth Sciences team at Carleton University in Ottawa for the past few years and is grateful to them for taking an interest in Nova Scotia Fossils. He is very excited about this and is looking forward to more upcoming projects with them!