Rare Dinosaur 'Bonebed' Found in Maryland

Dinosaur bonebed found in Laurel,MDPhoto byPrince George’s County Dinosaur Park

The big story

In a remarkable find, a treasure trove of fossils dating back more than 100 million years has been unearthed in a Maryland park, offering an extraordinary glimpse into the diverse species that once inhabited the East Coast. T

he discovery, made by a team of paleontologists and volunteers from the Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County, has been hailed as one of the most significant fossil findings in the region.

Among the astonishing discoveries is a 3-foot-long shin bone, identified as belonging to a theropod, a group of carnivorous dinosaurs that includes the famous Tyrannosaurus rex.

Researchers have linked the shin bone to Acrocanthosaurus, an imposing predator from the Early Cretaceous period estimated to reach lengths of 38 feet.

"A meat-eating dinosaur of this size has never been found on the East Coast of the United States," JP Hodnett, paleontologist,Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

A "bonebed," is a site that contains a concentration of bones from various species within a single geologic layer. This is the first such discovery of its kind in Maryland since 1887.

Why it matters?

The remarkable find was made during a public excavation event at Dinosaur Park in South Laurel, Maryland. Bonebeds are rare on the East Coast, where isolated finds like teeth and claws have typically been the norm.

The find includes fossils from an array of creatures, including an armored Priconodon, an ostrich-like Ornithomimoid, a predatory Deinonychus, and North America's oldest known stingray.

I would say that in the history of dinosaur paleontology, this might be one of the most important findings on the East Coast.We’ve never seen a site like this before"-Advait Jukar, paleontologist, University of Arizona

This rich collection of species promises to reshape our understanding of the prehistoric climate and food chain, offering insights into what life was like in Maryland 115 million years ago.

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