Cretaceous Creatures
Cretaceous Creatures is a public science project that offers middle school students across North Carolina and beyond the opportunity to make their own fossil discoveries.
Designed for 8th grade science teachers and students, Cretaceous Creatures participants do real science with real fossils. Students sort through 67-million-year-old sediment from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana where the Dueling Dinosaurs were found. During the process, they discover and identify microfossils of ancient animals that lived alongside some of the world’s most iconic dinosaurs. In its first year, Cretaceous Creatures impacted 55 teachers and 4,500 students across 32 North Carolina counties. Together, these students identified more than 2,000 fossils that became permanent additions to the Paleontology Research Collection at the Museum.
To participate for the year 2024/2025, you must be an 8th grade science teacher employed by a North Carolina public, private, or charter school. Registration opens June 2024.
Education Resources
Extinct animal coloring pages
These unique coloring pages were illustrated by a Museum paleoartist. For those who want a realistic picture, color guides are included for the Triceratops and T. rex.
Coloring Guides
DIY Craft Activities
