The Hell Creek Formation

The Hell Creek Formation is a rock unit that preserves one of the last great dinosaur ecosystems to exist on our planet. These rocks preserve the remains of a forested flood plain that was home to many of the Dinosaurs we have come to know and love, like Triceratops, T.rex and Ankylosaurus. This formation has been of key interest to High Plains Paleontology and Its leadership because of its immense potential to yeild dinosaur fossils of a high quality.

Species Profile: Tyrannosaurus rex

Tyrannosaurus rex "Tyrant lizard king"

Tyrannosaurus rex is the most famous and well studied dinosaur in history. The original specimens were uncovered by Barnum Brown in the early 1900s with the official description being published in 1905. Following these finds, several other skeletons showed Tyrannosaurus to be one of the largest known terrestrial predators with a length of more then 40 ft from nose to tail in some individuals.

Many Tyrannosaurus skeletons show numerous injuries ranging from bite marks on the skull to diseases that can be seen in humans like arthritis. This makes it an animal of interest to High Plains Paleontology and our efforts in paleopathology (the study of injuries in dinosaurs). Furthermore, Tyrannosaurus was the apex predator of the Hell Creek environment hunting large animals like Triceratops and Edmontosaurus. Studies on the braincase of T. rex indicate that it may have had the best sense of smell when compared to other land animals, living or extinct.

T. rex and other meat eating dinosaurs are also known to have shed their teeth throughout their lives, making it one of the most commonly found remains of this dinosaur.

Species Profile: Edmontosaurus annectens

Edmontosaurus annectens is one of the most common dinosaurs found in the Hell Creek formation. This is one of the best studied dinosaurs in the world and, unlike many other species, we have a much better understanding of what this dinosaur looked like in life thanks to thousands of bones, complete skeletons and "Mummies" revealing surprising anatomical features such as fossilized skin.

In recent years, Edmontosaurus fossils also revealed that these animals had unique "hooved" forelimbs. This was indicated in an incredible fossil found by the North Dakota Geological Survey, a specimen now affectionately known as "The Mitten". Edmontosaurus, like all hadrosaurs, processed their food with a multitude of tightly packed teeth in a configuration called a "dental battery". This allowed Edmontosaurus to chew its food unlike most other dinosaurian herbivores that swallowed their food in chunks.