SJM_Rowan fossil DEPT_0425 - edit_Dept 4 / 17 / 25 5 : 02 PM Page 1 local newspapers . It was Cope who dis - covered Dryptosaurus , initially giving it the name Laelaps aquilunguis . Once it L E I S U R E wasrevealed Laelaps was already used to identify the genus of mites , Marsh swooped in to rename the dinosaur . “ We can’t exist anywhere else in the world , not only because of the quarry but because South Jersey is this hotbed of dinosaur discovery , ” says Nick Sena , the museum’s director of community development and partnerships . “ Most of the residents in this region don't know , so we wanted to make sure that we pre - serve this quarry and what we're finding in it for generations to come , and also to be this beacon of awareness and educa - tion of South Jersey’s significance to the paleontological scene . [ The museum’s founding executive director ] Dr . [ Ken - neth ] Lacovara travels the world to give talks and fills venues with folks that know South Jersey and how significant it is to dinosaur discovery ; but how many folks in our own backyard have no clue of what's beneath their feet ? ” A Moment Paying homage to this , the museum’s displays are centered around the area’s inhabitants from the famous Dryp - tosaurus and Haddrosaurs to Mosasaurus In Time andAstrodon . Broken into three tradi - tional museum halls — Dinosuar Coast , The Edelman Fossil Park & Museum honors South MonstrousSeas and the Hall of Extinc - tion & Hope — the first floor tells a story of Jersey’s rich paleontological history while providing a Dryptosaurus living on the coast of New a unique and engaging experience for dinosaur fans of Jersey.From its fight with a mother all ages . by Chelsea Valcourt Hadrosaurusto being wounded on the beach and carried out to sea by the tide , ixty - six million years ago , dinosaurs roamed the Earth . Now the eachdisplay in Dinosaur Coast and Mon - Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University is bringing strousSeas offers a plethora of informa - them back to life — figuratively , of course . After nearly 20 years of tionabout the flora and fauna of the pre - S development , on March 29 , the $ 75 million , 44,000 - square - foot facility opened its historicregion . doors to the public . The response has been overwhelming , selling out the first two Importantly , the exhibit combines weekends in operation . pastand present , showcasing the simi - Tucked behind a Lowe’s in Mantua , the fossil park’s location may seem obscure , but laritiesin modern animals with their it is every bit intentional . ancient ancestors . These comparisons South Jersey has a long history with dinosaurs . While the T . rex may be the most providegreater context for the impor - popular tyrannosaur , it is by no means the only ; it isn’t even the first tyrannosaur dis - tance of paleontology and set the stage covered . That distinction belongs to the Dryptosaurus , discovered in 1866 just miles forthe final section , which culminates away from the Fossil Park , in the West Jersey Marl Company Pit in Barnsboro . the knowledge acquired from the past Further , Haddonfield is named after the discovery of Hadrosaurus foulkii by John andpresent into solutions for the future Estaugh Hopkins and officially excavated by William Parker Foulke in 1858 . This land - inhopes of avoiding our own extinction . mark discovery in paleontology represented the first complete , virtually intact Uponentering the museum , visitors dinosaur skeleton found anywhere in the world . are provided an explorer card . This card The secret to South Jersey’s fossil luck lies in its geography . Despite the vast number unlockspersonal experiences of fossils found each year , it’s rare for fossilization to occur and rarer that a fossil is ever throughoutthe museum — allowing visi - discovered . In order for a fossil to form , an animal must die then quickly be covered in tors to score points while encouraging sediment , allowing the body to decompose — in most cases only leaving its bones — and guests of all ages to take their time at then harden into rock to be discovered naturally through erosion . The area’s abun - each of the exhibits . dance of marl pits provides the perfect habitat for fossilizations . Several “ fossil boxes ” are hidden throughout the first two rooms ; walk up , FurtheringSouth Jersey’s paleontological history , it was also home to a feud that tap your card and head over to either rivalsthat of the Hatfields and McCoys , nicknamed “ The Bone Wars . ” Edward Drinker room’s leaderboard to identify the fossils Copeand Othniel Charles Marsh were once friends before the allure and prestige of you find . fossil hunting mudded their relationship . The two were often found sabotaging each other’s dig sites , claiming ownership of each other's finds and slandering each other in Inaddition to the fossil scavenger SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 22 issue 1 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 14 |