Dinosaurs in Delaware
Dinosaurs in Delaware
Only
fragmentary remains of dinosaurs have been found in Delaware. All of these
have come from the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, mainly from the spoil
piles created by the dredging of the Canal. Various nature groups in Delaware
lead trips to the Canal for collecting. Most of the fossils found are
those of marine invertebrates (primarily bivalves and gastropods with
some remains of sponges, ammonites, and belemnites).
These
fossils date to the late Cretaceous (97 to 65 million years ago) and come
from the marine sediments of the Marshalltown and Merchantville Formations.
Of the dinosaur remains, none have been complete enough for genus and
species identification. At least two hadrosaurid (duck-bill dinosaurs
such as Maiasaura) teeth have been found. Several toe bones of ornithomimosaur
(small and agile theropod predators that look something like plucked ostriches
with long tails and arms) dinosaurs and a partial hadrosaurid vertebra
have been recovered. In addition to the dinosaur remains, other vertebrate
fossils that have been recovered include: teeth of the marine reptiles
Mosasaurus, Globidens, and Tylosaurus; part of a jaw and plates (scutes)
of the giant crocodile Deinosuchus; a pleisiosaur vertebra; remains of
bony fishes; and shell fragments of the turtles Trionyx, Toxochelys, and
other forms. One of the most unique remains found in Delaware is that
of a neck bone and a wing bone from a pterosaur (a flying reptile).
Sources of Information
There
are many excellent books on dinosaurs available at your local library.
A very good book on collecting dinosaur fossils in this region is one
entitled "Dinosaurs of the East Coast" and was written by David B. Weishampel
and Luther Young. It was published in 1996 by The Johns Hopkins University
Press. The book is very thorough in describing dinosaur fossil collecting
localities from all along the East Coast of North America, the kinds of
dinosaurs to be found, and the habitats and lifestyles. Another fine book
on local dinosaurs is written by William B. Gallagher and is entitled
"When Dinosaurs Roamed New Jersey." It was published by Rutgers University
Press in 1997. It describes the dinosaur fossils that have been found
in New Jersey as well as some information about those from Delaware. The
information of dinosaurs from Delaware given above comes from these books.
For
information regarding the Cretaceous fossils from Delaware, the following
are available from the Delaware Geological Survey:
DINO
Links