115-million-year-old dinosaur bones found in Maryland

LAUREL, Md. — The Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County has discovered a host of dinosaur bones at its Dinosaur Park in Laurel, Maryland. On Wednesday, the Department is expected to unveil new information about the bones themselves and the significance of their discovery. Paleontologists are calling this rare discovery of dinosaur bones from multiple different species in the same geologic layer, a “bone bed.”

This “bone bed” found in Maryland is historic for the state, as it is the first of its kind found in the area since 1887. However, it is also a milestone for paleontological research.

Because of this historic discovery, the Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County is holding a conference to disclose to the public its insights on the bones and the significance of their discovery. The conference will include remarks from various experts and representatives of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPCC), including chairman Peter A. Shapiro, and paleontologists JP Hodnett and Thomas Holtz.

The M-NCPCC owns the Maryland Dinosaur Park, home to fossils which date back to the early Cretaceous Period. For any and all Dino-lovers, the park provides a variety of educational experiences—helping park staff and acting as paleontologists for the day.

The park’s environment is reflective of an early Cretaceous period river and wetland, which is similar to the Patuxent River Park in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The park contains fossils that are 115 million years old, which predate the Tyrannosaurus Rex by 50 million years! Astrodon Johnstoni, the largest species of dinosaur found east of the Mississippi River — commonly called the Maryland State dinosaur — can also be found at the park.

The Department will reveal the new information about the recently discovered “bone bed” at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the Dinosaur Park.