Dear Fellow Fossil Collectors:

Thank you for your interest in our 2008 field season of Paleontological survey and excavation in South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. The 150,000 plus acres (11 ranches) that we will be collecting on have many excellent exposures that range in age from the Middle Cretaceous (c.90 million years ago) to the Oligocene (c.35 million years ago). The majority of our ranches are in the Hell Creek and Lance Creek Formations located in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Our Montana ranches also contain Middle Cretaceous Marine fossils from the Bearpaw shale. The Nebraska ranches have exposures from the Pierre Shale and the Oligocene. One of our Nebraska ranches also has numerous outcrops of giant septarian nodules which contain calcite crystals in great abundance. A list of representative fossils recovered from the ranches include the following:

The Hell Creek and Lance Creek Formations

• Triceratops
• Several types of crocodile
• Edmontosaurus
• Numerous types of fresh water turtle
• Torosaurus
• Pachycephalosaur
• Tyrannosaurus Rex
• Dromaeosaurs (Raptor)
• Struthiomimus

The Oligocene

• Oreodons
• Hyaenodon horridus
• Hoplophoneus primaevus and Dinictis squalidens (saber cats)
• Abundant land tortoises - Stylemys nebrascensis
• Hyracodon nebrascensis (Horse size Rino)
• other small mammals and birds

The Bear Paw shale

• Numerous ammonoids and belemnoids
• Several types of pelecypods

The Pierre Shale

• Three different types of Mosasaur (Crocodile like sea going reptile)
• Elasmosaur (a long necked sea reptile)
• Xiphactinus
• Enchodus ferox
• Other small fish
• Shark teeth
• some ammonoids

Dr. Steve Nicklas,
Founder of
Paleo Prospectors

Tony with his Sacrum.