Colorado State Fossil

One of the most recognizable dinosaurs may be the Stegosaurus. With a long, narrow and pointed skull and a thick, solid body with 17 bony plates embedded in the back, the Stegosaurus is a fascinating prehistoric specimen to see. The first Stegosaurus found in Colorado was in 1877 just west of Denver. The area near Red Rocks Amphitheater that we now know as Dinosaur Ridge is a fascinating journey into the past. You can walk a 1.5 mile trail along Alameda Parkway and observe hundreds of dinosaur tracks fossilized in the sandstone rocks. There is a quarry of bones, over 15 marked sites, and other features you can explore. The area has been designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service and as a “Point of Geologic Interest”, it’s well worth the time to see into the prehistoric era of the Colorado Front Range.

“Quarry Number 5 is the Dinosaur Ridge Bone Quarry, and was the site where the world’s first Stegosaurus was discovered. Several vertebrae, parts of limbs and pieces of the famous plates were uncovered and can now be seen on display at the Morrison Natural History Museum.” In 1937, the West Alameda Parkway was being constructed, and the site was discovered. It was open to the public for 52 years, but destructive vandals were responsible for ruining some of the fossils, and in some cases completely removing the footprints. The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge was formed to protect the area and over the years, has helped to preserve all the tracks of these giant creatures. The group is also responsible for educating the public and helping them understand the significance of what they are seeing in the sandstone. To date, over 300 tracks have been identified on the hillside. The geology of the area shows how the Rocky Mountain range was lifted up to make the tracks more vertical than they once would have been.

Important discoveries are continuing and in 1992, an almost complete skeleton was found near Canon City. As with other state symbols, teachers and students learning about the history of both Colorado and earth sciences, petitioned the Governor to recognize this animal. A fourth-grade class worked for two years to get Stegosaurus to be the official state fossil. On April 28, 1982, their efforts were rewarded when the Governor of the State of Colorado made an executive order proclaiming this popular dinosaur as the winner.

Some of the Features of Stegosaurus

The name means “Covered Lizard” or “Roof lizard” due to the bony plates on its back
Plant eater (herbivore)
Very small head with a tiny brain and toothless beak (brain the size of a walnut)
Large, flat, bony, triangular plates along its back (17 in two rows of alternating plates)
A heavy, spiked tail for protection (at least 4 and sometimes 8 spikes on the tail)
Walked on four legs, but the back legs were twice as long as its front legs, which sprawled out to the sides.
The feet of the front legs had five short, wide toes with short, hoof-like tips.
The rear feet had three short, wide toes with hooves.

The dinosaur was up to 26-30 feet long (8-9 m), about 9 feet tall (2.75 m), and weighed about 6,800 pounds (3100 kg). Examples of the animal can be found in many museums and archeology dig sites like the one in Red Canyon Quarry where entire skeletons can be seen. A Stegosaurus named “Sarah” has been on display and is an outstanding example of the skeletal structure. Since the exterior parts of the animal have never been seen by humans, the color of the skin and the possible textures and tone remain a mystery, but artists have fleshed out the animals to give us an idea of what they may have been like when they roamed the Colorado Front Range.