Bruce is a Tylosaurus pembinensis and is the Guinness World Record holder as the largest publicly displayed mosasaur. Bruce lived during the late Cretaceous period, approximately 80 million years ago. He swam in a relatively shallow sea environment in a very rich life environment. This ocean is termed the Western Interior Seaway and split up North America in two. The Seaway spanned from the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean to the warm currents of the Gulf of Mexico.

In past years, recovery of fossils was relatively easy due to the co-operation of the former local bentonite mining company, Pembina Mountain Clays. When a fossil was found, it was carefully removed by trained museum personnel to ensure that it was not damaged during the recovery procedure