115-million-year-old dinosaur fossil 'bone bed' discovered in Laurel

Prehistoric bones found in Prince George's County park

Break open your history books. For the first time since 1887 when Grover Cleveland was president, large dinosaur bones have been discovered in a fossil-rich Prince George's County park. FOX 5's Bob Barnard has the story.

LAUREL, Md. - Paleontologists have discovered a rare layer of dinosaur fossils in Maryland that dates back 115 million years.

Officials say the "bone bed," a highly concentrated layer of rock containing fossils of different dinosaurs, was unearthed at Dinosaur Park in Laurel.

Image 1 of 2

▼

115-million-year-old dinosaur fossil 'bone bed' discovered in Laurel (Barnard / WTTG)

The discovery marks a major milestone in paleontological research and is the first of its kind found in Maryland since 1887, officials say.

The fossils found at Dinosaur Park are from the early Cretaceous period which occurred approximately 50 million years before the Tyrannosaurus rex.

The park is also home to Astrodon johnstoni, the Maryland State dinosaur and the largest species found east of the Mississippi River.