Hell Creek Formation Life: Frequently Asked Questions

Hell Creek Life: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why on earth would anyone create such a list of animals and plants found in only one layer of rock?

A: Because of my geology training, I tend to think of early life in terms of it's stratigraphic context. I became interested in creating such a list about 20 years ago while working on a soil-stability project in eastern Montana. The Hell Creek Formation has interested me because it forms beautiful badlands and because it is one of the most intensely studied rock units in North America. Therefore, there is a lot of published information on its fossils. Usually, this information is quite scattered throughout the scientific literature. Some of these sources are obscure. I have seen very partial flora and fauna lists of the Hell Creek Formation before, but nothing as complete as I wanted. I also wanted to create a concise, updatable list that could be useful to anyone studying the paleoecology of the Formation. Since the K/T boundary is found within the Hell Creek Formation, anyone working on an extinction study may find this list (and it's references) useful.

Q: What was the habitat like in Montana and the Dakotas back in the latest Cretaceous?

A: There is widespread agreement that the Hell Creek Formation was deposited in a well-drained, semi-tropical environment with abundant rivers and with open forests. It was NOT swampy. Seasonal weather change was very mild.

Q: Why did you just make it a Montana/Dakotas list? Why not include other states/countries that have rocks of the same age?

A: The list is primarily meant to be a paleoecosystem compilation: a listing of all living things that have been reported from a particular spot on the planet and a particular point in time. Within that context, it is scientifically useful. Many of these animals and plants probably interacted with each other on a daily or a seasonal basis. However, taking geographic liberties has it's limits. For instance, if I had added the latest Maastrichtian flora and fauna from the Lance Formation, I may no longer have an accurate ecosystem list. Furthermore, it appears that the Lance Formation in southern Wyoming and Colorado may have been deposited in a slightly drier climate than was the Hell Creek Formation. Buck and Mack (1995) have found evidence that the Hell Creek-correlative McRae Formation in south-central New Mexico was deposited in an arid environment. Even a slightly drier climate could significantly change the populations, population ratios, and bio-diversity.

Reference: Buck, B.J., and G.H. Mack. 1995. Latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) aridity indicated by paleosols in the McRae Formation, south-central New Mexico. Cretaceous Research 16(5): 599-572.

Q: What about the life that existed on the "other side" of the K/T boundary? When are you going to compile that list?

A: Whew!! You folks don't realize how much work it can be to dig through myriad obscure paleontology journals, looking for key words like "Hell Creek", and extract any new species names buried within the reams of pages! Seriously, it is sort of fun to add to the list, but it can be time-consuming to get the project started. Presently, I don't have time to compile a life-list for the overlying Paleocene-age Tullock Formation. Maybe someone else can take up the challenge!

Q: Please put more pictures of some of the plants and animals on your web page.

A: I will do my best, however, this is primarily a paleontology (fossil) page. There are many other paleo web sites that contain good quality paleo-art.

Q: Why didn't you create a subpage for each group of animals/plants?

A: It would ruin the list's context. The point of the Hell Creek Flora and Fauna list is to show that its fossil life is actually part of a greater whole. A fossil that you hold in your hand today didn't exist as an isolated entity when it was alive. The prehistoric world was just as existential as is our modern world. At some level, everything is inter-connected, and every component of the system was directly or indirectly influenced by all other parts of the system. The occurrence of T. rex in the Hell Creek Formation has scientific meaning only when it is interpreted within a greater context. That context is the environment in which it lived and its interactions with other coexisting lifeforms. Much of this information is still unknown. View the Hell Creek list with a holistic eye.

Q: How did you find all the information for your list?

A: I get the information from technical journal articles and word of mouth; the references to which are provided to me by both professional and amateur paleontologists.

Q:You don't provide prices for the fossils in your catalog. Why?

A: It's not a sales catalog. The Hell Creek list is for educational purposes only. I don't own such a collection.

Q: Where can I collect these fossils?

A: Before the amateur goes on a collecting trip, here is what he/she must know about collecting fossils in the northern Great Plains region:

• It is a federal crime to collect vertebrate fossils, without a permit, on federal land. These collecting permits are reserved for people who are conducting scientific research. In most cases, amateurs are not granted collecting permits.
• In most northern Great Plains states, it is a crime to collect vertebrate fossils on state land (check the laws in the particular state in which you plan to collect).
• The collection of petrified wood, fossil plants, and invertebrate fossils is legal on some public lands, but you first must check with the public agency that oversees the land (USFS, BLM, etc.). In some cases, a collecting permit is needed. These permits are usually easy to obtain because they were created specifically for amateur collectors.
• It is legal to collect vertebrate fossils on private land with the permission of the land owner. However, be forewarned: Landowners in the northern Great Plains (particularly landowners in Hell Creek country) sometimes charge a fee (which can be substantial) to collect fossils on their property. Other landowners always deny access. Always ask permission before you collect fossils on private land!
• Before you start your trip, buy a good quality "land ownership map" for the area that you intend to visit. This map will show the boundaries of BLM land, USFS land, Federal wildlife refuge land, state-owned land, and privately-owned land.