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In Our Community
The Calvert County Times
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Dinosaur Tracks Discovered at NASA Goddard
a rare glimpse of the mammals and dinosaurs Lockley said. interacting, which make this find extraordiLockley and Stanford believe the wide diversity and nary. Dr. Godfrey coordinated the excavation number of tracks show many of the animals were in the of the slab and produced the mold and cast that area, actively feeding at the same time. Perhaps the mamformed the basis of the scientific work. mals were feeding on worms and grubs, the small carnivoDr. Godfrey authored the paper with Ray rous dinosaurs were after the mammals, and the pterosaurs and Sheila Stanford; Martin Lockley, pale- could have been hunting both the mammals and the small ontologist at the University of Colorado; and dinosaurs. Compton Tucker, Earth Scientist at NASA “It’s a time machine,” Stanford said. “We can look across Goddard Space Flight Center. Below are ex- a few days of activity of these animals and we can picture it. cerpts taken from the NASA’s press release, We see the interaction of how they pass in relation to each published January 31, 2018: “The concentration of mammal tracks on this site is orders of magnitude higher than any other site in the world,” said Martin Lockley, paleontologist with the University of Colorado, Denver, a co-author on the new paper. LockNASA and Calvert Marine Museum contractor, Michael Godfrey, works to ley was one of the first to begin studyexcavate the slab containing the fossil footprints in January 2013 (Rebecca ing fossilized footprints in the 1980s. Roth/NASA/GSFC) “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a slab this size, which is a couple of square meters, Dr. Stephen Godfrey, Calvert Marine Museum’s Curator of Paleontology, has co-authored a new paper published in where you have over 70 footprints of so many difScientific Reports on January 31, 2018 entitled: “A diverse ferent types. This is the mother lode of Cretaceous mammal-dominated, footprint assemblage from wetland mammal tracks.” The first track Stanford found was of a nodosaur – deposits in the Lower Cretaceous of Maryland.” Dinosaur tracks from more than 100 million years ago “think of them as a four-footed tank,” Stanford said. were discovered at NASA’S Goddard Space Flight Center Subsequent examination revealed prints of a baby in Greenbelt, Maryland. Ray Stanford, a local dinosaur track nodosaur beside and within the track of the adult expert, spotted this intriguing rock while dropping his wife, nodosaur, likely indicating that they were traveling Sheila, a Goddard employee, off at work in 2012. The slab together. The other dinosaur tracks include: a sauof sandstone, the size of a dining room table, contains 70 ropod, or long-necked plant-eater; small theropods, A. Photograph of the painted cast replica. B. Interpretive drawing of mammal and dinosaur tracks from eight species, including crow-sized carnivorous dinosaurs closely related to multiple prints and trackways made by dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and squirrel-sized mammals and tank-sized dinosaurs. The fos- Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus rex; and pterosaurs, Cretaceous period mammals. Images courtesy of Ray Stanford sil footprints, likely made within days of each other, provide a group of flying reptiles that included pterodactyls. “There was something about this surface, this substrate, that was very at- other. This enables us to look deeply into ancient times on tractive,” Lockley said. “It Earth, and I think it’s just tremendously exciting.” looks like it was very orThe parallel trackway patterns made by four crow-sized ganic-rich. Fortunately for carnivorous dinosaurs suggests they were hunting or foragus, the slab was suddenly ing as a group. covered in sediment, which “It looks as if they were making a sweep across the area,” preserved the tracks.” Lockley said. Several of the mammal tracks occur in pairs, The dinosaur tracks are representing hind feet. “It looks as if these squirrel-sized impressive, but it is the col- animals paused to sit on their haunches.” The team gave lection of mammal tracks the new formal scientific name of Sederipes goddardensis, Hello, my name is Lady. You can that make the slab signifi- meaning “sitting traces from Goddard Space Flight Cencant. At least 26 mammal ter”, to this unusual configuration of tracks. tell by looking into my sweet tracks have been identified “We do not see overlapping tracks” said Compton Tuckface that my goal in life is on the slab since the 2012 er, a Goddard Earth scientist who helped with the excavato PLEASE! I just LOVE discovery – significantly tion, coordinated bringing in multiple scientists to study the PEOPLE. I bet you can more than have been dis- tracks, and has worked to create a display of the cast in Godpicture yourself sharing covered anywhere else in dard’s Earth science building. “Overlapping tracks would the world. Furthermore, occur if multiple tracks were made over a longer period an adventure with the slab also contains the while the sand was wet.” Tucker added, “people ask me me or maybe just largest mammal track ever why were all these tracks in Maryland?” I reply, “Maryland SNUGGLING up for discovered from the Creta- has always been a desirable place to live.” The authors have some quiet time. I’m a ceous. It is about the size of also noted that the Cretaceous environment was “swampy” sweet young bundle of modern raccoon’s prints. 100-120 million years ago. This makes for good jokes tolove who deserves the Lockley and Stanford day, but also points to a serious side of geological research said most of these ancient into long-term climatic and environmental change. great home someone like footprints belong to what As the scientists continue to study the tracks and comYOU could give me! I’m we would consider small pare them to others found in the area and around the world, only two years old with loads mammals – animals the they will continue to discover more about prehistoric life of potential! size of squirrels or prai- that existed here. PLEASE CHOOSE ME! rie dogs. Most Cretaceous “This could be the key to understanding some of the mammals discovered to smaller finds from the area, so it brings everything togethAnd remember, if there is room in the heart, date have been the size of er,” Lockley said. “This is the Cretaceous equivalent of the there is room in the house! rodents, their size usually Rosetta stone.” Come meet me and the wonderful gang at Tri-County Animal determined only from their For more information about the find, please visit the sciShelter (6707 Animal Shelter Road, Hughesville) or call teeth. “When you have only entific paper and its supplemental material at: http://www. 301-932-1713 for more information. To see more of my amazing teeth, you have no idea nature.com/articles/s41598-017-18619-w. friends available for adoption, “like” us on Facebook @ Tri-County Animal Shelter Southern MD. what the animals looked like or how they behaved,” Press Release from Calvert Marie Museum.
Pet of the Week Meet Lady!