FISH DOG
Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Miguasha National Park

World Heritage Site: Miguasha National Park
State/Province: Quebec
Country: Canada
Continent: North America
Year it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site: 1999
Maps: Miguasha National Park Province of Quebec Canada
Episodes: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

Episode 2: Rock Fish
by Rose Muenker

Back on the road to Miguasha National Park, they drove along the southern coast of Gaspe Peninsula.

The waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence entered Chaleurs Bay, which separates the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick.

"There are so many pretty villages along the coast," Francois said.

Sonya sniffed at the morning fog. When the mist lifted, they could see the tops of lighthouses.

"We're almost at Miguasha," Francois's grandfather said.

At Nouvelle, they turned off the highway to reach the World Heritage Site. Thousands of fossils of fish from a prehistoric time called the Devonian Period were discovered here. They gave scientists important information about life on earth.

"Hurray!" Francois and Sonya shouted when they saw the red museum building. The flags of Quebec, the World Heritage Centre, and the United Nations were flying out front.

A guide named Olivier greeted them at the door.

"Bon jour!"

"Bon jour," Sonya responded. She loved learning how to say "hello" in different languages.

"Let's go down to the beach first," Olivier said. "I want to show you the cliff where the fossils were found."

"Will we see fossils?" Sonya asked.

"Oh, yes!"

"Goodie! Rocks with designs of plants and animals are so cool!"

Pebbles covered the beach. A tall cliff rose from the shore.

"This is where a man named Abraham Gisner discovered fish fossils back in the 1800s." Olivier pointed at the cliff. "He was looking for coal, but found one of the world's richest deposits of fish fossils."

"How old are the fossils?" Sonya asked.

"Really, really old! They're around 400 million years old."

"I can't count that high," Sonya sighed.

"Don't worry. The important thing to know is that scientists call that time period the Devonian period."

"Did the man find lots of fossils?" Francois asked.

"He found enough fish-shaped fossils to make paleontologists - those are scientists who study fossils - from Great Britain, Sweden and the United States come take a look," Olivier said. "The Swedes took 30 tons of fossils home."

Francois whispered in Sonya's ear, "That's as much weight as 6 big elephants!"

"Here's the digging site." Olivier climbed up to an area cut into the cliff. "Every summer, students search there for more fish fossils."

"Let's find a fossil right here on the beach," he said as he knelt by some flat rocks.

"See how the edge of this rock is dark?"

They nodded.

"That means it probably has a fossil inside."

Olivier tapped the rock with the chisel end of a hammer. The rock split open.

Inside there were fossils of lots of little shrimp. "These shrimp were a great source of food for the Devonian fish."

"Wow." Francois whistled. "Look at all of them."

"Would you like to see this rock under a microscope?"

"Yes!" Sonya and Francois clapped.

"OK. Let's tour the museum and then we'll go to the lab."

They bounded up the cliff staircase together.

To be continued...

Read a non-fiction feature article about the Gaspe Peninsula.

Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and sounds of this World Heritage Site.

Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.

FISH DOG Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Miguasha National Park

FISH DOG
Sonya, the World Heritage Pointer, Explores Miguasha National Park