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What is the most likely attributable identity for the Tyrannosauroid remains at Phoebus Landing of the Tar Heel Formation? What I am referring to specifically are bones documented in Baird and Horner's 1979 paper which speaks of a distal third of a right femur that is attributed to cf. Dryptosaurus and is smaller than the holotype of D. aquilunguis. It is also compared with Albertosaurus which shows similarities as well but that's expected with Eutyrannosaurs. Also there is another distal left femur of a tyrannosauroid shown to be found in a Hypsibema bonebed and originally attributed to the Hadrosaur taxon as a tibia but later revealed to be part of the femur of Tyrannosauroide Keep in mind at the time they were attributed to tyrannosauridae until dryptosaurus was shown to be part of an outgroup from the main family. My only question is, are these specimens possibly referrable to Appalachiosaurus instead of Dryptosaurus? It could be possible as the time of description of these specimens Appachiosaurus was not described yet. There are a few flags that could make such bones the cf. Appalachiosaurus instead, like the more pronounced medial condyle than that of Dryptosaurus which is smaller and less noticeable. This I noticed with specimen ANSP 15330. Although it is overrall smaller than the Dryptosaurus holotype this could be just a sign of it being in a juvenile ontogenetic stage. And despite being smaller not only is it's medial condyle larger, the politeal pit and the intercondylar fossa are deeper and more prominent. Although I cannot say the same for the larger left femur Cope mistakenly thought was a Hypibema tibia. This femur is larger than the Dryptosaurus holotype however it's fossa and processes aren't as pronounced. Although this could be attributed to the fact it is largely abraded and weathered. Here is the subadult Appalachiosaurus right femur from the holotype (ignore the left tibia included below it);

A friend of mine took me to Green Mill Run on the advice of someone she knew. Found a lot of whalebone, teeth, and Belemnites and I want to see what else I can find. I got my hands on a couple of good reference books and I am planning to take another trip (it is about a 2 hour drive) when someone is free to come with me. I heard that on the Cape Fear River, near Elizabethtown, that the Phoebus Landing on the Cape Fear River, is a good place to check (and much closer--just 45 minutes). I want to go. Does anyone know (1) what GPS coordinates to use to get to Phoebus Landing; (2) I heard I need to get into a kayak or boat to access potential fossils and I have never been kayaking or boating...suggestions?; and (3) Are there other good sites less than an hour away from Fort Bragg? Finally (4) Are there any fossils to find on the shoreline of Lake Singletary in NC? When I emailed to ask the state Geologists for places I might find fossils they said Lake Singletary was a good idea but I haven't been able to find anything posted on the web about anyone consistently finding fossils there (yet). TIA.