Hunting Dinosaurs

How many people can claim they’ve discovered a new dinosaur species?

Wendy Sloboda (BA ’01) can, and the wendiceratops pinhornensis is named in her honour. From Warner, Alta., Wendy is a legendary dinosaur hunter. She made international headlines when the journal article on the wendiceratops was released and the new dinosaur was introduced to the world. Estimated to have lived 79 million years ago, wendiceratops is credited with increasing scientists’ understanding of skull ornamentation evolution in the horned dinosaur. “It is important because it ties old and new horned dinosaurs together, kind of like a missing link,” she explains.

Wendy has travelled the world on palaeontological expeditions, and in 2016, she will return to Greenland. While others might be daunted by the task of searching for fossils that may not even exist, Wendy continues to be excited by the possibility. “When you go out and find a fossil, you’re the first person to ever see it and touch it. It is pretty special and exciting.”