That something is a 3D-printed replica of a Thanatotheristes skull, along with a landscape illustration by paleo artist Julius Csotonyi.
The " Reaper of Death " was just the fifth species of tyrannosaur from Canada to be named and the first in 50 years. The display will stand as a celebration of just one of the many dinosaur discoveries made by UCalgary researchers.
Deeper still in Earth Sciences is a lab strewn with dinosaur skulls, fossils and replicas. It’s a space one could find Jurassic Park’s Alan Grant or Ellie Sattler at home in.
The lab belongs to Dr. Darla Zelenitsky, MSc’95, PhD’04, an associate professor in the Faculty of Science’s Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment.
Paleontological origins
Inspired by books she read as a child and visits to the Manitoba Museum’s paleo exhibit, Zelenitsky became the first Canadian woman to earn master’s and doctorate degrees and work as a researcher in the field of dinosaur paleontology.When she started, there was only one other dinosaur paleontologist working in Canada: Dr. Philip Currie, PhD, Hon. LLD’08, the founding director of the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, who served as Zelentisky’s supervisor.
Following the release of Jurassic Park in the early 1990s, interest in the field exploded to the point where there are now 12 dinosaur paleontologists in research positions in Canada and plenty of student interest.
"I’m constantly hearing from students that they want to be paleontologists," says Zelenitsky. "Many of my students credit those movies as being their inspiration."
One of those students is Dr. Jared Voris, Msc’19, PhD’25, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment.
On top of consuming dinosaur media like Jurassic Park, Voris is obsessed with the natural world, fostered by growing up in rural North Carolina.
"My desire to learn more about animals that are alive today extended back to dinosaurs," says Voris. "I was obsessed with animals as they lived."
Dozens of discoveries
With the number of students and research in the field exploding, this has been dubbed the " golden age of paleontology ," with approximately 50 new dinosaur species being discovered each year.Zelenitsky has played a prolific role in this golden age with her research contributions including:
- Discovering the first tyrannosaur skeleton with stomach contents preserved, the only known perfectly intact baby dinosaur still in its egg, and the first and only known pregnant dinosaur.
- Being on the team that first described dinosaurs with feathers from the Americas.
The naming of five dinosaur species: Thanatotheristes , Khankhuuluu , Ulughbegsaurus , Duonychus , and Beibeilong .
Zelenitsky credits these and her many other scientific successes to working with incredible mentors, colleagues and students around the world.
How the field has changed
The nature of dinosaur research has changed throughout Zelenitsky’s career, with the biggest shift coming from the discovery that many dinosaurs were more avian than reptilian."As a student at the U of C, I went to China and saw those first feathered dinosaurs," she recalls. "Now, paleontologists fully agree that birds are dinosaurs."
The methods of dinosaur paleontology have also changed. The use of CT scanning on fossils has allowed scientists to see the inside of fossils and skulls. Zelenitsky used this technique to study sense of smell in dinosaurs.
Voris, who was the lead author on the Thanatotheristes and Khankhuuluu studies, discovered fossils of both species in cabinets at the Tyrrell in Alberta and in Mongolia, respectively, showing the importance of investigation and research in dinosaur paleontology.
"Field work is just the acquisition of new specimens," says Voris. "The science happens back at the institutions, where we look at the fine details."
Dino interest never wanes
Through all the discoveries, interest in dinosaurs has never wavered for many people."There’s a whole mystery surrounding them," says Zelenitsky. "They’re long extinct, so it piques people’s interest to know how these animals lived and interacted with each other."
One of Zelenitsky’s biggest fans is legendary Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, who has visited Zelenitsky’s lab and posts about her latest discoveries on his social media.
"I have been following Darla’s research for almost 15 years," Slash tells UToday. "I met her when I was in Canada looking at dinosaur specimens and was inspired by her passion for and endless knowledge of paleontology."
UCalgary perfectly positioned
Dinosaurs are in the DNA of UCalgary. The sports teams are named the Dinos because of the huge range of species that used to wander prehistoric Alberta hundreds of millions of years ago. The university’s mascot, Rex, is even named after the most famous species of tyrannosaur.Students at the university, especially those in geology and biology, carry a passion for dinosaurs and want to volunteer on projects related to them.
The university is also uniquely located to be a great place to study dinosaur paleontology. The fossil beds surrounding Calgary in different directions reflect different geological ages, with younger fossils found further north near Drumheller and older fossils found along the Milk River in southern Alberta.
"All of those rock beds have great fossil records of terrestrial organisms from the time of dinosaurs," says Voris. "A lot of our understanding of dinosaur paleontology has come about due to discoveries made here in Alberta."
Zelenitsky also credits the facilities on campus for being able to accommodate her research.
"I can do CT scanning of dinosaur skulls or eggs right here on campus," she says. "Across the university, there are tools available to do the high-tech, cutting-edge research we want to do."
Voris agrees, calling UCalgary the perfect place to do dinosaur paleontology.
"The University of Calgary is in the middle of it all," he says. "We’re poised to go out and piece together the history of this window of time when dinosaurs were around."
Continuing to build the field
Zelenitsky has contributed to the growth of the field, supervising five students who all now work in dinosaur paleontology.Voris says Zelenitsky has been a fantastic mentor, crediting her with pushing him to investigate his ideas further.
"When it came to Khankhuuluu, I realized we were missing a connection between Asian and American tyrannosaurs ," says Voris. "Darla was pivotal in saying you need to go to Mongolia and helped get the funding to get me there."
Educating the public through dinos
The work of Zelenitsky and Voris continues to get international attention - 2025’s identification of Khankhuuluu graced the cover of Discover magazine’s science stories of the year issue.Voris says it’s a fantastic feeling to know that their discovery of the ancestor of the apex predator tyrannosaurs is on the cover of one of the largest popular scientific magazines.
"It’s a science that is accessible to the public," says Zelenitsky. "I think it’s great that paleontologists are able to help educate the public about science through dinosaurs."
