84 million-year-old fossil found in Alabama creek
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A recent trip to Shark Tooth Creek in Aliceville turned into a moment to remember for Dr. John Friel.
Friel, who serves as the director at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, returned from his trip with a rare 84 million-year-old hadrosaur tooth.
The museum announced the discovery on social media, sparking more than a few oohs and ahhs from the audience.
Keep reading to learn more about the fossil + the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
Hadrosaur
The dinosaur, whose name literally means bulky lizard, was a large ornithopod. The herbivore used its beak like mouth, with teeth, to crop vegetation for food.
Scientists believe hadrosaurs lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period.
According to the Museum of Natural History, most of the state of Alabama was part of the Gulf of Mexico 70 million years ago.
The area around Aliceville was once a barrier island and shark teeth washed ashore, eventually to be buried by geological processes.
Today, teeth from at least 16 different species of sharks can be found in Shark Tooth Creek.
And now at least one species of dinosaurs.
Alabama Museum of Natural History
Looking to take a visit to learn more about natural history across Alabama?
Here’s what you need to know:
- What: Alabama Museum of Natural History
- Location: 427 6th Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
- Hours: 10AM-4:30PM, Monday-Saturday
- More info
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