Amateur dinosaur tracker uncovers some rare fossils
<p><span word="Many">Many</span> <span word="Washingtonians">Washingtonians</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="difficulty">difficulty</span> <span word="relating">relating</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="city">city</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="age">age</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="dinosaurs">dinosaurs</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="it">it</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="stretch">stretch</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="Ray">Ray</span> <span word="Stanford">Stanford</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="believes">believes</span> <span word="dinosaurs">dinosaurs</span> <span word="took">took</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="region">region</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> 100 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="ago">ago</span>. <span word="And">And</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="amassed">amassed</span> <span word="dinosaur">dinosaur</span> <span word="foot">foot</span> <span word="prints">prints</span> - <span word="from">from</span> <span word="fossils">fossils</span> - <span word="that">that</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Washington">Washington</span> <span word="suburbs">suburbs</span>.</p><p><span word="On">On</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="sunny">sunny</span> <span word="days">days</span>, <span word="Ray">Ray</span> <span word="Stanford">Stanford</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="along">along</span> <span word="creeks">creeks</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="College">College</span> <span word="Park">Park</span>, <span word="Maryland">Maryland</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Washington">Washington</span> <span word="suburbs">suburbs</span>.</p><p><span word="Stanford">Stanford</span> <span word="began">began</span> <span word="hunting">hunting</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="fossil">fossil</span> <span word="footprints">footprints</span> 18 <span word="years">years</span> <span word="ago">ago</span>. <span word="Since">Since</span> <span word="then">then</span>, <span word="Stanford">Stanford</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="collected">collected</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="thousand">thousand</span> <span word="footprints">footprints</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="various">various</span> <span word="kinds">kinds</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="dinosaurs">dinosaurs</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="turned">turned</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="living">living</span> <span word="room">room</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="calls">calls</span> <span word="the">the</span> "<span word="Stanford">Stanford</span> <span word="Museum">Museum</span>."</p><p><span word="Standford">Standford</span> <span word="says">says</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fossilized">fossilized</span> <span word="baby">baby</span> <span word="dinosaur">dinosaur</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="collection">collection</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="known">known</span> <span word="hatchling">hatchling</span> <span word="dinosaurs">dinosaurs</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="kind">kind</span>.</p><p>"<span word="It">It</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="natural">natural</span> <span word="cast">cast</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="mummy">mummy</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="nodosaur">nodosaur</span> <span word="fossil">fossil</span>, <span word="an">an</span> <span word="armored">armored</span> <span word="dinosaur">dinosaur</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="grew">grew</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="very">very</span> <span word="large">large</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="heavy">heavy</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="adult">adult</span>," <span word="Standford">Standford</span> <span word="notes">notes</span>.</p><p><span word="Standford">Standford</span> <span word="donated">donated</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="findings">findings</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Smithsonian">Smithsonian</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="National">National</span> <span word="Museum">Museum</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Natural">Natural</span> <span word="History">History</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Washington">Washington</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="displayed">displayed</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> "<span word="Dinosaurs">Dinosaurs</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Our">Our</span> <span word="Backyard">Backyard</span>" <span word="exhibit">exhibit</span>.</p><p>"<span word="Most">Most</span> <span word="importantly">importantly</span>, <span word="he">he</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="footprints">footprints</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="dinosaurs">dinosaurs</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="haven">haven</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="bones">bones</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="yet">yet</span>. <span word="So">So</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="footprints">footprints</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="know">know</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="these">these</span> <span word="dinosaurs">dinosaurs</span> <span word="lived">lived</span> <span word="here">here</span>. <span word="We">We</span> <span word="didn">didn</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="information">information</span> <span word="before">before</span> <span word="Ray">Ray</span> <span word="discovered">discovered</span> <span word="them">them</span>," <span word="notes">notes</span> <span word="Matthew">Matthew</span> <span word="Carrano">Carrano</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="museum">museum</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="curator">curator</span>.</p><p><span word="Recently">Recently</span> <span word="Stanford">Stanford</span> <span word="surprised">surprised</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="scientists">scientists</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="US">US</span> <span word="space">space</span> <span word="agency">agency</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="finding">finding</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="dinosaur">dinosaur</span> <span word="footprint">footprint</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="grounds">grounds</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="NASA">NASA</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Space">Space</span> <span word="Flight">Flight</span> <span word="Center">Center</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Washington">Washington</span> <span word="suburbs">suburbs</span>.</p>
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