Subscribe to RSS Feed On December 1, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and Parks Canada announced the launch of the Burgess Shale online exhibition. This entirely bilingual website provides, for the first time ever, an immersive journey into the world of the bizarre prehistoric creatures that formed the foundation for all animal life on Earth half a billion years ago. Through the use of never-before-seen visuals, including stunning virtual animations, the website brings to life over 100 years of research and discoveries, in which the ROM and Parks Canada play a vital role.
The online exhibition was created by the ROM and Parks Canada, with support from the Virtual Museum of Canada Investment Programs, an initiative of the Canadian Heritage Information Network.
Central to the site is the Fossil Gallery, which presents 200 species from six major collections with high resolution images, 3-D reconstructions, and detailed scientific descriptions. As well as being an invaluable scholarly resource, this site is a great example of how collections can be used to educate the public.