Colorado is Home to a Rare Raptor Track Fossil Site

Colorado has undergone dramatic transformations throughout time, especially compared to how it looked hundreds of millions of years ago, long before becoming a state. While the appearance of Colorado has changed significantly, pieces of the past remain in existence and remind us of what once was.

For example, amazing evidence of life from over 105 million years ago is displayed on the west side of the Dakota Hogback, in Morrison, Colorado. This is the location of a renowned site, featuring fossilized tracks from the Cretaceous period. The area is fittingly called Dinosaur Ridge.

The national natural landmark is considered to be the top dinosaur track site in the country. Along the Dinosaur Ridge and Triceratops Trails, visitors are granted access to observe dinosaur, bird, mammal, insect, and invertebrate tracks, as well as other trace fossils that are present on the ancient layers of rocks.

One point of interest on the trail is the extremely rare two-toed raptor tracks, located just north of the main track site. These tracks were discovered in 2016 by CU Denver geologist Martin Lockley and his team. They are the first of their kind found in Colorado, and only the second in North America.

The two-toed raptor track fossils are few and far between, with only about 12 reports documented worldwide. A majority of those paleo discoveries were in China and Korea.

Scientists believe the raptor tracks in Morrison likely belonged to carnivorous dinosaurs, such as a Velociraptor. Millions of years ago, the dinosaur would have left the track in the soft mud. The impression was then filled with sand deposits, which protected the print from washing away. Over time, erosion has caused the fossilized tracks to tilt from their original position.

The specimens seen at Dinosaur Ridge help to share a part of history that humans never got to see first-hand.

It's important to respect the natural landmark while visiting. This means no climbing on any of the rock formations, or causing destruction in any way. Guests are also prohibited from removing or collecting anything from Dinosaur Ridge, including fossils and rocks of any form.

Visitors should refrain from touching the rocks, in order to preserve the fossil site for years to come. The museum on-site offers the chance to feel an actual petrified dinosaur bone, and has many other educational specimens on display too.