Construction workers find dinosaur fossils in Denver suburb

Construction workers have unearthed fossils in a Denver suburb that experts say could be from a rare horned dinosaur.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science said Monday that it is exploring the near a retirement community in Highlands Ranch where a dinosaur's lower leg bone and several ribs were found.

Fossil expert Natalie Toth told KDVR-TV the fossils could be from a torosaurus—a dinosaur similar to the triceratops but differentiated by three bones.

Toth says the fossils seem to be intact, so crews are hoping to uncover the entire dinosaur.

The fossils are embedded in a 66- to 68-million-year-old rock layer.

Toth says fossils in the Denver formation are from dinosaurs that were among the last "walking around before the big extinction."

© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Construction workers find dinosaur fossils in Denver suburb (2019, May 22) retrieved 25 June 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2019-05-workers-dinosaur-fossils-denver-suburb.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Horned dinosaur Crittendenceratops discovered in Arizona

3 shares

Feedback to editors