
Digging Dinosaurs in North Dakota
Prehistoric giants left their marks all over North Dakota
It's said North Dakota once was a tropical paradise complete with giant lakes and the giant fish that used to swim in them. Many exotic plants and animals lived here. There is proof that other giants used to roam North Dakota in prehistoric times and they are being uncovered all the time.
Much of the fossil evidence was located in the rocks of the Hell Creek Formation. Remains of some of these ancient plants and animals were preserved in the river sediment that turned into the rocks of this formation. Several species of dinosaurs, as well as mammals, fish, salamanders, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, birds, snails, and clams have been identified, and fossils of sharks, rays, mosasaurs, clams, snails, and other animals have also been found in rocks.
Dinosaurs literally left their footprints all over this state and their skeletons are now displayed prominently in many museums.
ND Fossil Digs - Becky Barnes
Now a paleontologist with the North Dakota Geological Survey, Becky Barnes grew up as a self-proclaimed “girl who loves monsters.” You wouldn’t find her playing with Barbies, instead she would grab her favorite stuffed animal “Misty the Triceratops” off her bed and set up her science station. There, she and Misty would spend five years obsessively cleaning fish fossils her mom found for her. Watch and learn more about Becky's story and dinosaur digging in North Dakota.
Rare juvenile T. rex fossil found by children in North Dakota to go on display in Denver museum
A rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex fossil found by three children during a family hike in the North Dakota Badlands nearly two years ago will be on display at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
The unlikely discovery was made in July 2022 by brothers Jessin and Liam Fisher, their father Sam Fisher, and their cousin, Kaiden Madsen. Unsure of what his family had just stumbled upon, Sam reached out to an old high school friend, paleontologist Tyler Lyson, for help.