Manitoba’s most famous archeological gem, Bruce the Mosasaur, would become the marine reptile fossil emblem for Manitoba under a private member’s bill brought forward by PC MLA Cameron Friesen.

Bill 200, which received first reading in the Manitoba legislature Nov. 26 recognizes the mosasaur Tylosaurus pembinensis as Manitoba’s official marine reptile fossil emblem.

The 13-metre fossil was discovered in 1974 in a farmer’s field just west of Morden and is permanently exhibited at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) in the City of Morden.

“I believe this bill will highlight the significance of the CFDC’s world-class mosasaur exhibit and draw attention to Bruce the Mosasaur as a Manitoba institution,” said Friesen.

“Morden’s famous mosasaur specimen continues to gain attention both within the province and around the world, and recognizing the mosasaur as an official symbol of Manitoba is an important way to continue to celebrate one of Manitoba’s greatest archeological treasures,” Friesen said.

The 80-million-year-old reptile, named Bruce by Morden’s CFDC, was awarded a Guinness World Record this past September as the world’s largest mosasaur. In 2013, the Royal Canadian Mint cast a commemorative quarter recognizing Bruce the Mosasaur as the “T-Rex of the Sea.”