Québec National Parks, one of the three magnificent Sépaq Networks

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Introduction to fossils and fossilization

At the Natural History Museum, visitors of any age can embark on a voyage of discovery into the world of prehistory. One of the park's missions is to educate the public about Miguasha's paleoenvironment as well as the natural setting of fossils and fossilization.

Fossil fishes and plants are shown and explained at the Natural History Museum's permanent exhibition as part of a guided tour that takes you back to a world that existed 378 million years ago. The tour initiates visitors of all ages into the field of paleontology. It is updated every year to keep pace with ongoing research on Miguasha's fossil fauna and flora.

The fresco

The permanent exhibition features a spectacular fresco of Miguasha's paleoenvironment. This "postcard from another time" is the work of local artist François-Miville Deschênes and computer graphics designer Alain Miville-Deschênes, with paleontologists Richard Cloutier and Sylvain Desbiens providing scientific advice.

Animated Film, Dive Into the Origins

Let yourself get carried away by the tropical waters of ancient oceans. This animated film, which is presented on a large screen, uses the latest technology to bring a strange group of creatures back to life. It is collaboration between computer graphics designers and palaeontologists. This virtual dive is a first in North America. Presented in the museum's amphitheatre. Museum admission button mandatory.

The Exhibition, 200 Million Years Before the Dinosaurs

What was life on Earth like four hundred fifty million years ago? That is the question the exhibition called 200 Million Years Before the Dinosaurs tries to answer. This exhibition, produced by the Lake Temscaming Fossil Centre, illustrates the first phases of the evolution of life, well before the Miguasha fish period, when invertebrates dominated the animal world. You can take a fabulous voyage back in time at the Museum’s temporary exhibition from June 1 to October 8, 2007. Museum admission button required.

The Trembling Earth Exhibition

Often dreaded, earthquakes inspire fear because their effects are often catastrophic. This exhibition, which is produced by the Lake Temiscaming Fossil Centre, illustrates how energy stored in rock can be released quickly and become an earthquake. Explorers of all ages will love this show, presented in the Museum’s temporary exhibition room from June 1 to October 8, 2007. Museum admission button required.

Public talks

All summer long, the tour guides present a series of public talks on different scientific topics: the evolving universe, the evolution of mammals, dinosaurs, and human evolution. The talks are given in the amphitheatre of the Natural History Museum.

Scientific publications

Everything you wish to know about the park's fossils and their prehistory is provided in two exceptional books. "Miguasha Park: From Water to Land" is a simple and clearly written overview of the subject by the paleontologist Dr. Richard Cloutier. A more scholarly approach is taken in "Devonian Fishes and Plants of Miguasha, Québec, Canada"-a wide-ranging scientific work with contributions from twenty local and foreign specialists.

The "Evolution of Life" trail

A walk along this trail will familiarize you with the major stages in the evolution of life on our planet. A series of information panels reviews the prehistory of living things as they evolved from the Cambrian to the present day-an exceptional way to combine an outdoor walk with a trip back in time.