The Dinosaur Fund

31/12/2025

On a chilly December afternoon ❄️, the Paleontology Office team and staff from Patuxent River Park 🏞️ met at a special creek to plan new educational programs for 2026 📚. This spot is truly amazing—the creek cuts into ancient marine sediments 🌊 that are 55–60 million years old! Back then, our region was a warm, shallow coastline, home to sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, clams, and snails 🦈🐢🐚.

While the group was discussing ideas, something unexpected happened. Paleontologist Victor Perez 👀 made an exciting discovery. Sitting on a pile of sediment along the stream bank was a rare fossil—the shell of an ancient nautilus called Cimomia marylandensis 🐚.

Nautiluses are distant relatives of squid and octopuses 🦑 and today are found only in the Indo‑Pacific Ocean 🌏. These shelled scavengers use tiny tentacles to bring food to their beak‑like mouths. Finding this fossil here is a reminder that nautiluses once called the Atlantic Ocean home 🌊💫.

Discoveries like this make us even more excited to share this site with the community in 2026! 🎉

22/10/2025

Welcome the new NHRD Paleontology Office!

This new resource management unit of staff and volunteers, led by Paleontology Manager Dr. Victor Perez, is now responsible for exploring, conserving, and interpreting the fossil resources found within M-NCPPC sites within Prince George's County. Team PG Paleo will continue to inspire and guide guests at Dinosaur Park during their prehistoric adventures but they also plan to expand programing to other sites across the county to engage the citizens and visitors of Prince George's County on it's amazing fossil heritage!

Come out to Dinosaur Park every first and third Saturdays to meet Team PG Paleo and learn about Prince George's County's prehistoric world!

More info: https://pgparks.com/parks_trails/dinosaur-park

09/06/2025

16/05/2025

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Peter Kranz

Dr. Peter Michael Kranz was born on Long Island, New York, and began exploring the Dinosaur Hall of the American Museum of Natural History as soon as he could walk. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1972. Dr. Kranz worked with museums, universities, and scientists throughout the world. He collected dinosaurs and fossils on every continent in the northern hemisphere. His time was occupied with various aspects of science education, including teaching at all levels from prekindergarten to graduate school, making video and audio products, building exhibits, doing television productions, writing, and appearing at the occasional dinosaur birthday party. Dr. Kranz passed in 2025 and will be greatly missed. He has passed his love for dinosaurs on to countless individuals through his outreach and work in paleontology. His impact, especially in the Washington metropolitan area, was immense. He was instrumental in establishing the Dinosaur Park in Laurel, MD, and establishing Capitalosaurus Day, which will continue to introduce a new generation to paleontology.

03/01/2025

Capitalsaurus Day 2025 may include another posting by Diane Paulsen of NBC4. As always, Capitalsaurus Day is January 28th, when the fossil was logged in at NMNH.

03/01/2025

In case you missed it, NBC4 posted a long digital piece online in Spring 2024 (writer Maggie More), which was originally planned for January 2024. The schedule drifted to Spring 2024. Click here for the article.

05/11/2024

Several new taxa may have been found over the past year at the Dinosaur Park. Publications may be coming soon.

05/11/2024

It is noteworthy that last week was the 15th anniversary of the Park dedication October 26, 2009.

03/05/2024

Dinosaur Camp weeks beginning 6/17, 7/15, 7/29, 8/12, 8/19, 8/26.

01/02/2024

05/10/2023

National Fossil Day 2023 is Wednesday October 11. Smithsonian's Program at Natural History 10:30AM to 1 PM.

05/10/2023

Large bones are still coming from the dig site at Dinosaur Park.