News Release
Screenshot YouTube/@AgateFossilBedsNPS
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Contact: Tera Lynn Gray, 308-436-9768
Over 40 online visitors helped Agate Fossil Beds National Monument celebrate International Women and Girls in Science Day last Sunday, Feb 11. Four paleontologists, Daniella Balassa, Kristin Watmore, Mattison Shreero, and Sunshyne Santos, presented their ongoing research about the animal fossils of Agate and surrounding Sioux County. A live chat on YouTube followed, with the four scientists answering questions and sharing their stories of being female scientists.Ms. Balassa is a graduate student at California State University, Long Beach. She also instructs classes at the school and works as a Paleontological Research Scientist where she inspects constructions sites for fossils. Her current research is about the ancient camel Oxydactylus. In the early 1900s, new species were being named at a fast rate. Ms. Balassa’s job is to find out if all six of the Oxydactylus species are actually different types of animals.
Ms. Watmore also studies ancient camels, although her focus is on the Stenomylene camels. Agate Fossil Beds has several of these camels on display in their visitor center. She is a graduate student at Cal Poly University, Pomona. She presented at Agate’s similar event last year where she explained these camels developed high crown teeth while grazing among our rough vegetation. Further research showed these camels developed high crowned teeth (hypsodonty) before horses did! This year, she continued her work on the specific camel species, Stenomylus. If the data continues to flow the way it’s going, Ms. Watmore states, “Then, Stenomylus hitchocki is no longer a valid species, and that name will have to be synonymized with Stenomylus gracilis.” For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, this means changing a lot of interpretive signs. Donald Prothero, an attendee at Sunday’s program wrote in the chat, “Science is always moving forward with new and better data!”
Ms. Shreero, a park ranger/geologist at Badlands National Park, explained why her recent research expanded a species names, rather that get rid of one. She and colleagues researched a brand new species of an ancient deer, Leptomerycidae, that was found in Badlands National Park in 2016. This tiny deer’s skull only weighs between 6-8 pounds! Mattison Shreero will be live at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in July to tell us more about this little guy!
Ms. Santos is also a graduate student at Cal Poly University, Pomona. She gave an inspirational talk about growing up in a gang-affiliated home, being the first in her family to go to college, and losing vision in one eye when she was fifteen. She studies the ancient rhinoceros that were found abundantly at Agate Fossil Beds, the Menoceras. She’s comparing the growth rates of the ancient and modern rhinos.
Visitors said after the event was very interesting and they learned a lot. “It’s amazing that rhinos didn’t have horns and camels didn’t have humps.” Donald Prothero said in the chat. Jellystone Ranger said in the chat that it was, “very eye-opening content.”
International Women and Girls in Science Day was established in 2015 to support full participation and equal access for females in all Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.Missed the live event? You can still watch the recording on Agate’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@agatefossilbedsnps) or on their website (https://go.nps.gov/digupagate2024). The videos are closed-captioned, audio-described, and interpreted into ASL. The chat is available to view on the YouTube channel.
Admission to Agate Fossil Beds is always free. Check out other events and activities on the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/agfo/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is located 34 miles north of Mitchell, NE or 22 miles south of Harrison, NE on Highway 29 and 3 miles east on River Rd. The Visitor Center winter hours are 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and the trails are open from dawn until dusk. Visit us at www.nps.gov/agfo and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Last updated: February 15, 2024