Fossil Fields
(Coastal Plain and Piedmont)

ENC will explore the worlds of ancient crocodiles, bus-length sharks, and sloth the size of elephants that once called North Carolina home.

When one thinks of the great fossil fields of the world, the arid parts of Mongolia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Wyoming probably come to mind. In North Carolina one can only find sharks teeth or perhaps a few fossil shells, right?

Wrong! Parts of North Carolina and the Southeast are actually very rich in fossils. Coastal fossil beds do produce large shark’s teeth and whale bones, but they can also produce the skeletons of walrus and giant sloth. Clay soils in the piedmont can yield the skeletons of reptiles dating back more than 200 million years. Much of the research relating to North Carolina’s fossil past is being carried out at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

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Resources:

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
NC Museum of Natural Sciences: Research in Paleontology
NC Museum of Natural Sciences: Research in Mammals