Photos: See the 1st Dinosaur Bones Ever Found in Alaska's Denali National Park

Dinos at Denali

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

For the first time, paleontologists have uncovered dinosaur bones in Alaska's Denali State Park. Experts have discovered dinosaur remains in other parts of the state, but this is the first time researchers have uncovered dino remnants in the state park. Some of the 70-million-year-old remains likely came from a medium-size to large dinosaur, and another remnant was probably from a hadrosaur, also known as a duck-billed dinosaur, the researchers said. [Read the Full Story on the Denali Discovery]

Admiring the past

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

Field crew from the University of Alaska Museum of the North and Denali National Park — (from left) Tyler Hunt, Heather MacFarlane, Thomas Sniezak, Eliza Rorabaugh, Nick Freymueller and Cassi Knight — admire a track left by a large three-toed duck-billed dinosaur in Denali National Park.


Exploring beauty

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

University of Alaska Fairbanks students and paleontologists team up with Denali National Park employees searching for dinosaur fossils in the backcountry of Denali National Park in July 2016.


Dinosaur discovery

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

Heather MacFarlane, a research assistant at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, displays a dinosaur bone fragment found in Denali in July 2016.


Footprint preserved

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

An extremely well-preserved meat-eating dinosaur footprint in Denali, clearly showing the fleshy pads of skin, claw impressions and skin texture.

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

Undergraduate paleontology students Thomas Sniezak, of the University of Alaska, and Nick Freymueller, of the University of New Mexico, create a mold, or peel, of the original track for further study.


Proud team

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

Team members — (from left) Heather MacFarlane, UA Museum of the North; Naomi Morris, Denali interpretive ranger; Nick Freymueller, University of New Mexico student; and Eliza Rorabaugh — pose with a peel of the very well-preserved theropod track discovered in Denali National Park.

History trek

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Pat Druckenmiller)

Team members (from left) Cassi Knight, Eric Metz, Camille Heninger and Greg Erickson backpack into the Denali wilderness in search of potential new dig sites in July 2016.

Detailed information

dinosaur fossil denali national park

(Image credit: Gregory Erickson)

The bone fragment, which likely came from the limb bone, considering its highly porous texture. The inset image shows a microstructure with many bone cells that's seen only in dinosaurs from this time period. [Read the Full Story on the Denali Discovery]

Live Science Staff
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