Our society loves thinking about the prehistoric past. Hollywood movies bring massive extinct creatures to life, families flock to museums, and kids happily play with toy dinosaurs. That fascination means new fossil records are as exciting for adults as for kids. We all instinctively know that our country looked a lot different back when dinosaurs and other extinct creatures roamed the land. But wrapping your head around the fact that swamps or rainforests existed where deserts now sit is challenging. So we find ourselves wondering if the prehistoric creatures walked where we now stand. Where in the US did they call home?
Dinosaur skeletons and other prehistoric fossils have gotten uncovered throughout much of the United States. But not all states can claim they were once home territory for a T-Rex. That leaves us with the question, did dinosaurs live in Rhode Island? Keep reading to discover the answer, along with information about what else lived in the area that is now a tiny east coast state.
Dinosaurs in Rhode Island
Paleontologists spend their days searching for records of the past. They have diligently worked to dig out dinosaur skeletal remains in many states. However, there are a handful of states without dinosaur fossils. Unfortunately, Rhode Island is one of those. No dinosaur skeletons have gotten discovered in the small state at the time of this writing. But we can hope that one day there will be!
Despite the lack of larger prehistoric remains, that does not mean Rhode Island wasn’t teeming with life. The state actually has a rich prehistoric record. It just wasn’t all above water!
Missing History
There is no fossil record in Rhode Island from the Precambrian period and little to show for the Paleozoic period. However, some scientists believe the state was at least partly underwater during this time. So it makes sense that one of the earliest fossils from Rhode Island was trilobites. The tiny aquatic creatures have a fascinating skeletal structure.
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Other Prehistoric Fossils in Rhode Island
It wasn’t until the Carboniferous period that the area exploded with life. What is now northern Rhode Island turned into a swamp rich in flora and fauna. Fossils from this period include trunks (one with a 16-inch diameter), leaves, stems, horsetail, and club moss.
However, plants weren’t the only living beings at the time. During this period, Rhode Island developed an abundance of arthropods or invertebrates. The fossil record suggests the emergence of previously unknown arthropods during the Carboniferous period in Rhode Island. A neuropteroid (similar to net-winged insects) and protophasmid (now extinct) showed up. Additionally, an arachnid known as Anthracomartus and many cockroaches lived in the state.
And unfortunately, the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras don’t offer much insight into what life looked like in Rhode Island. The soil sediments eroded away during much of those eras, preventing fossils from forming. So, it is entirely possible that dinosaurs roamed during the Mesozoic era. The fossil evidence just doesn’t exist (or hasn’t been found).
©James St. John, CC BY 2.0 <https://ift.tt/czXAJIR>, via Wikimedia Commons – License
Did Dinosaurs Live in Other East Coast States?
Yes, a few dinosaurs did live in modern-day New England. One of the most well-known discovery sites is in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. There, 200 million-year-old tracks are still visible. Dinosaur State Park preserves them. And the sheer number of them suggests the area may have been a watering hole. The number of tracks at the state park exceeds 2,000.
Additionally, Massachusetts was home to multiple dinosaurs, including Podokesaurus and sauropodomorphs. The sauropodomorphs were herbivores and dominated the land during the Mesozoic era. Podokesaurus was a carnivore with grasping hands and powerful limbs that allowed it to quickly pursue its prey.
There are also sites in Massachusetts with ample dinosaur tracks, similar to Connecticut. And New York has evidence of dinosaur tracks that is not as well-known as those in neighboring states.
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