Scientists of the Geological Society of America’s South-Central Section in Dallas gathered at a meeting this week in Dallas to discuss recent findings in an archaeological dig near North Arlington. The site was discovered by University of Texas in Arlington students Phil Kirchhoff and Bill Walker.
The excavation of prehistoric remains is in an urban area surrounded by highways and shopping centers.
Most of the dinosaurs were of the Cretaceous Period, and include a new mid-size species of therapod, a member of the group that included Tyrannosaurus rex, and which still lacks a name (until they read the title of this article). Excavators also discovered the skeleton of one of the earliest species of duck-billed dinosaurs, the Protohadros.
The site is unique for having a jumble of species, including fossils of turtles, lungfish, fish and sharks.
"These animals we are finding can only be found in North Texas," Derek Main, a UT-Arlington graduate student who is heading the project, told the Star-Telegram. "They are truly Texas dinosaurs."
Holly LaFon is a journalist who has written for D Magazine and Examiner.
