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PUBLISHED! Botanical Beach new Chimaeroid fish egg capsule

Congratulations to VicPS member Marji Johns and her colleagues! 

This month they published a research paper on the rare egg capsule discovered at Botanical Beach in 2022 by a citizen scientist.  Paid members may read about the backstory on discovery of this specimen in the BCPA online journal at First Record of a late Eocene–early Oligocene chimaeroid fish egg – BC Paleontological Alliance. 

Image courtesy https://cdnsciencepub.com

In this just-published paper, Marji et al have identified the egg capsule to be from a long-nosed chimaeroid fish similar to today’s living ‘spookfish’, not a ratfish as surmised when it was collected.  It’s a good reminder not to jump to conclusions about the identity of specimens we find, and to rely on experts to make the identification (ID is commonly a lengthy and detailed research process)! 

This research also highlights the value of citizen scientists.  In this case, the citizen scientist was visiting from the USA, saw an exceptional specimen in a BC park, took photos, and reached out to the proper authorities who then collaborated and collected the specimen carefully and legally.

The new paper, titled: ‘First chimeroid fish egg capsule (Chondrichthyes, Holocephali, Chimaeriformes) from upper Eocene Carmanah Group strata, West Coat of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada‘, is published in the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 

First chimaeroid fish egg capsule (Chondrichthyes, Holocephali, Chimaeriformes) from upper Eocene Carmanah Group strata, West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada .

The research paper citation is:

Johns, M.J., Fischer, J., Makahnouk, W.R.M., Nyborg, T., Deom, E., Bowen, D., and Bartlett, R. 2025. First chimaeroid fish egg capsule (Chondrichthyes, Holocephali, Chimaeriformes) from upper Eocene Carmanah Group strata, West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.  Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 62(5): 1013–1042 (2025) | dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2024-0096.

Copies of the paper can be obtained from the CJES at their web page (the link is: https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjes-2024-0096 where there also is a large photo of the specimen) or by direct request for the research paper from Marji.

Congratulations Marji!  We know how much work is involved in publishing, and VicPS is pleased to have played a small part in helping to retrieve the specimen from the beach.

VicPS monthly meeting, Wednesday May 14, 2025 @ 7:30 pm

Join your VicPS peers online this week for a pictorial tour of recent events, including

  • fossils specimens found during the April 20th field trip to Nanaimo,
  • photos and videos from a scientific field trip in Cobble Hill earlier this month with Dr. Jim Haggart, Geological Survey of Canada, and
  • an update on other ways VicPS members are supporting science and scientists.

Paid members will have recieved the link to attend via email.

VicPS field trip: Sunday, May 18, 2025

The VicPS fieldtrip this month will be close to Victoria: on the Saanich Peninsula. Paid members will have received details concerning the field trip as an email.

Please follow the emailed instructions and RSVP your intention to participate.

VicPS now has 40 members, the largest membership in the history of VicPS!  

APS meeting April 11: Mammoth Site Visit, and, “What Really Killed the Dinosaurs?”

The Alberta Palaeontological Society’s upcoming monthly meeting will take place on Friday, April 11, 2025 at 6:30 p.m PST at Mount Royal University, room B108. The meeting will be held in person and online through Zoom (info included below). There is both a short and a long presentation organized for April; please see abstracts and bios below.

Short Presentation by Dr. Leslie Eliuk

Title: Visit to Mammoth Site at Hot Springs, South Dakota

A sneak peak and prelude to the presentation by expert Dr. Chris Jass, rescheduled for November 2025.

Eliuk 2025 April Short Presentation – The Mammoth SiteDownload

Main Presentation by Dr. François Therrien

Title: What really killed the dinosaurs? A look at the latest developments

April 2025 Dr Therrien Presentation Abstract and BioDownload

Zoom Meeting Information:

Alberta Palaeontological Society is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: APS April Meeting
Time: Apr 11, 2025 07:30 PM Edmonton
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88073894464?pwd=LPU3vkLSSOzZQxC0AcOCo0qDyX23fh.1

Meeting ID: 880 7389 4464
Passcode: 252138

Local April 2025 VicPS Events

With no speaker scheduled for the April 9th meeting, our President will report out on recent activities – we did just host a Fossil Fair! – and catch us all up, as well as introduce new members to our Society. 

The meeting link will be sent via separate email to paid members. 

We are in the final stages of determining which workshop will take place on April 12th, and details of the April 20th fieldtrip will be circulated a week in advance. Look to your email for further details.

Press Release: FOSSIL FAIR 2025

More details on the upcoming Fossil Fair, taking place at Tillicum Mall on the weekend of March 22 – 23. Please help get the word out!


The Fossil Fair is a hands-on, educational experience for all age groups, organized by recreational collectors (citizen scientists) and professionals. The public is encouraged to bring in fossils found in BC for identification. Specific activities for children include hands-on inspection of fossils, a scavenger hunt with prizes and fossil colouring and rubbings.

NEWS RELEASE – 27th Fossil Fair 2025 FINALDownload

Fossil Fair 2025: It’s a GO!

Good news from our VicPS president:

The event will be March 22 and 23rd, 10 AM to 3 PM at Tillicum Mall. The space is near the entrance to Winners, at the top of the escalators, in a very prominent part of the mall.  We will have the entire space to ourselves, and Tillicum Mall will market the Fossil Fair as part of their Spring Break public education support for local organizations.

email from VicPS president Jerri Wilkins

Stay tuned for more details. For now, set those dates aside for some paleo learning and discovery!

FOSSIL FAIR SEEKS NEW LOCATION

The Victoria Palaeontology Society needs your help.

After 26 years, the wonderful partnership with Swan Lake & Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary – host to our annual Fossil Fair – has come to an end. This change is a loss, and also an opportunity. 

Our deepest gratitude to Swan Lake. They have been an incredible partner over the years, on so many levels.  Just one example: access to their microscopes has enabled us to engage the public in exploring the beautiful microfossils that add so much to our knowledge of the past. 

We now have the challenge of finding a new partner for this annual event. A new partner and a new location may offer new opportunities. We get to re-envision Fossil Fair and incorporate some of the ideas we’ve dreamed of over the years and were unable to accommodate due to space and time constraints.

Finding a new venue and new partner will be VicPS’ top focus. Please let us know if you, someone you know, or an organization you know might make a good partner for Fossil Fairs going forward; and we’ll aproach them to discuss the details.

Below, as one document, are a letter of introduction and a Fossil Fair proposal. Please review it and distribute it thoughtfully in aid of VicPS’ search for a new Fossil Fair partner.

FOSSIL FAIR PROPOSAL 2025Download

APS talk: Jim Kirkland, Eggs, Nests, and Dinosaur Behavior: Evidence from the Morrison Formation, Colorado Plateau 

The Alberta Palaeontological Society’s February meeting will take place on Friday, February 21, 2025 at 6:30 p.m PST at Mount Royal University, room B108. The meeting will be held in person and online through Zoom. The speaker will be presenting virtually. Abstract and bio below.

Main Talk: Jim Kirkland, Eggs, Nests, and Dinosaur Behavior: Evidence from the Morrison Formation, Colorado Plateau 

Zoom Link:

Topic: APS February Meeting
Time: Feb 21, 2025 07:30 PM Edmonton
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89351905754?pwd=midvXtxp8lLh7aEl4QvLK8ZI3Xc3ZD.1

Meeting ID: 893 5190 5754
Passcode: 814664

One tap mobile
+17193594580,,89351905754#,,,,*814664# US
+19292056099,,89351905754#,,,,*814664# US (New York)

APSFeb21_2025TalkBioDownload
APSFeb21_2025TalkAbstractDownload

Register for 15th BC Paleontological Symposium 2025, August 22 – 25

The 15th British Columbia Paleontological Symposium will be held at the Florence Filberg Centre, August 22nd to 25th, 2025 in Courtenay, BC. The British Columbia Paleontological Alliance meets every two years to hold a symposium. This year the Vancouver Island Paleontological Society will host this symposium. The symposium will be supported by the Courtenay and District Museum. Please mark these dates on your calendar, and register here:

Register at eventbrite for
the
15th BC Paleontological Symposium 2025
Keynote Speaker: Kirk Johnson