The first coin in the Royal Canadian Mint’s exciting new series featuring portraits of prehistoric animals discovered in Canada! The reverse image by Canadian artist Julius Csotonyi features an interpretation of what Bathygnathus borealis may have looked like. The scientific accuracy of the depiction was verified by palaeontologists of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.
Viewed from its front left side, Bathygnathus borealis appears to approach the viewer, displaying the large, powerful, tooth-filled maxilla whose discovery first brought Bathygnathus borealis into the limelight. Depicted here as similar to Dimetrodon, we see the mammal-like reptile’s powerful, low-slung body. Its muscular, claw-tipped front limbs bow slightly to the sides of its squat body, its front left claw raised as it walks forward. Its hind left leg is similarly bowed and its hind right foot is just visible beneath the low belly, raised in unison with the front left limb in a lizard-like walking motion. The animal’s long tail curves behind it, toward the left side of the image. From the animal’s back rises one of the key Dimetrodon features: the tall, spiny, skin-covered dorsal sail used to regulate body temperature.
Diameter: 38mm Weight: 31.39g Material: Silver Fineness: 0.9999 Bullion Weight: 1 Troy Ounces
Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II Reverse: Interpretation of what Bathygnathus Borealis may have looked like Finish: Proof Series: Portraits of prehistoric animals found in Canada Quantity Produced: 8500 Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II Theme(s): Portraits of prehistoric animals found in Canada
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