ven ▁County . ▁Man ate es ▁in ▁Jones ▁County . ▁Meg al odon ▁in ▁Pam lic o ▁County . ▁The ▁wal rus ▁Od oben us ▁ros mar us ▁was ▁preserved ▁in ▁D are ▁County . ▁ ▁History ▁Eb ene zer ▁Em m ons ▁began ▁his ▁ten ure ▁as ▁the ▁state ▁ge ologist ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 1 ▁ ▁At ▁some ▁point ▁before ▁the ▁ 1 8 6 3 ▁end ▁of ▁his ▁ten ure ▁he ▁would ▁discover ▁the ▁foss il ized ▁remains ▁of ▁Late ▁C ret ace ous ▁re pt iles . ▁Later , ▁during ▁the ▁American ▁Civil ▁War , ▁Confeder ate ▁min ers ▁looking ▁for ▁coal ▁to ▁help ▁power ▁their ▁war ▁efforts ▁un cover ed ▁many ▁foss ils ▁from ▁the ▁ 2 1 0 - mill ion - year - old ▁Late ▁Tri ass ic ▁P ek in ▁Form ation . ▁Ar ound ▁ 1 8 6 9 ▁North ▁Carolina ' s ▁first ▁known ▁din osa ur ▁foss ils ▁were ▁discovered ▁by ▁Washington ▁Car uth ers ▁K err ▁in ▁a ▁Sam pson ▁County ▁mar l ▁pit ▁belonging ▁to ▁James ▁King . ▁Later ▁during ▁that ▁same ▁year , ▁Edward ▁Dr ink er ▁C ope ▁described ▁the ▁din osa ur ▁remains ▁exc av ated ▁from ▁a ▁Sam pson ▁County ▁mar l ▁pit ▁as ▁Hy ps ib ema ▁cr ass ica uda . ▁ ▁Natural ▁history ▁museum s ▁Aur ora ▁F oss il ▁Museum , ▁Aur ora ▁Cape ▁F ear ▁Museum , ▁Wil ming ton ▁Col burn ▁Earth ▁Science ▁Museum , ▁As he ville ▁McK