Fossil Hunting in Nebraska

Nebraska is one of the most important states in the history of vertebrate paleontology. The fossil mammals unearthed here since the 1850s have defined our understanding of life in ancient North America, from tiny ancestral horses to rhinoceroses, camels, saber-toothed predators, and the bizarre “devil’s corkscrew” beaver burrows.

Why Nebraska?

The Great Plains of western Nebraska preserve a nearly continuous record of mammal evolution from the late Eocene (about 37 million years ago) through the late Miocene (about 5 million years ago). This span covers one of the most dynamic periods in mammalian history — the transition from forest to grassland ecosystems, the evolution of horses from small woodland browsers to large plains grazers, and the rise and fall of dozens of now-extinct families.

Ashfall Fossil Beds is a site of global significance: a volcanic ash fall from an eruption in present-day Idaho buried entire herds of animals at a watering hole approximately 12 million years ago. The preservation is so extraordinary that you can see stomach contents, unborn foals, and the positions animals died in.

While Nebraska’s most famous sites are protected, the state still offers collecting opportunities. The badlands around Chadron and the Oglala National Grassland expose fossil-bearing sediments across thousands of acres, and with landowner permission on private ranch land, surface collecting can be productive.

What You’ll Find

Oligocene mammals (~25-34 million years old, White River Group):

• Oreodont bones — These sheep-sized herbivores were incredibly abundant; fragments are the most common surface find
• Turtle shell fragments — Very common in badland washes
• Titanothere fragments — Massive brontothere bones occasionally weather out
• Petrified wood — Scattered through the Chadron Formation

Miocene mammals (~5-20 million years old, Ogallala Group):

• Horse teeth and bones — Multiple species from different evolutionary stages
• Camel bones — Ancient camels were diverse in Miocene Nebraska
• Rhinoceros remains — Teleoceras (the barrel-bodied rhino from Ashfall) and others
• Daemonelix — Corkscrew-shaped beaver burrows (visible at Agate Fossil Beds)

Cretaceous marine fossils (eastern and south-central Nebraska):

• Shark teeth — From the Niobrara Formation equivalent
• Fish bones — Scattered in chalk exposures
• Inoceramus shells — Large bivalves

Best Time to Visit

• Late spring (May-June): Roads to the panhandle are clear; wildflowers bloom in the grasslands
• Early fall (September): Cooler temperatures and dry conditions make field work comfortable
• After rain in badlands: Erosion is rapid in the soft White River Group sediments, exposing new bone fragments on the surface
• Summer works too: Just bring sun protection — western Nebraska is hot and exposed

Tips for Nebraska Collecting

1. Start at the museums — visit Ashfall Fossil Beds and the University of Nebraska State Museum (Morrill Hall in Lincoln) to see what these animals looked like before searching for fragments in the field
2. Learn to recognize bone vs. rock — fossil bone in the White River Group is often white to tan, porous, and lighter weight than surrounding rock; the “tongue test” (bone sticks to your tongue, rock does not) is reliable
3. Walk badland washes — fossils erode from slopes and concentrate in dry creek beds at the base of bluffs
4. Bring a GPS and plenty of water — the panhandle badlands are remote with limited services
5. Ask local ranchers — many are knowledgeable about fossils on their land and can point you to productive areas
6. Report significant finds — if you find an articulated skeleton or skull on public land, photograph it and contact the University of Nebraska State Museum
7. Visit Toadstool Geologic Park — the one-mile loop trail through eroded White River Group badlands is one of the most scenic geological hikes in the Great Plains
8. Respect Lakota land — parts of the Pine Ridge area are on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; do not enter without permission

Collecting Sites

Legal Rules for Nebraska

Key Geological Formations

• Ogallala Formation (Miocene)
• Brule Formation (Oligocene)
• Chadron Formation (Eocene-Oligocene)
• Niobrara Formation (Upper Cretaceous)
• Ashfall Fossil Beds (Miocene)

Local Fossil Clubs & Museums

• University of Nebraska State Museum
• Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park
• Lincoln Gem and Mineral Club
• Toadstool Geologic Park (USFS)