Microsoft Dinosaurs
Important Dinosaur Sites
Important Dinosaur Sites

Dinosaurs have been found on every continent — explore the greatest dig sites on Earth!

KindDinosaur science

Dinosaur fossils have been found on every continent in the world, but only some regions contain a wealth of their remains. The most productive dinosaur hunting grounds are in North and South America, central and eastern Asia, and Africa. These areas share the same type of geology: their rocks were formed by sediments of sand, mud, or lime, laid down by wind or water to cover dinosaur corpses before the bones could decay. These sediments turned into rock about 235 to 65 million years ago, within the Mesozoic era. Then movements in the Earth's crust thrust this sedimentary rock to the surface, where erosion from wind and water have exposed some of the bones.

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North American Dinosaur Sites

North American Dinosaur Sites

Much of our knowledge about dinosaurs comes from North America. In fact, looking for dinosaurs has been popular here since the 1880s, when a "dinosaur rush," similar to the gold rushes in California and Alaska, took place. For more than a century, American and Canadian paleontologists have tried to outdo each other in finding and identifying dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Provincial ParkAlmost 350 dinosaur skeletons have been collected here, including hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, ankylosaurs, and carnosaurs.
Dinosaur National Monument, Utah and ColoradoMore than 5,000 bones, belonging to sauropods, stegosaurs, and carnosaurs, have been discovered in this rugged area.
Hell Creek, MontanaFossil dinosaur eggs have been found here.
Como Bluff and Sheep Creek, WyomingSauropod bones have been found here since the 1870s.
Ghost Ranch, New MexicoMany Coelophysis skeletons have been unearthed here.
European Dinosaur Sites

European Dinosaur Sites

The fascination with prehistoric creatures began in Europe, where a few intrepid pioneers were the first to identify fossils as belonging to giant reptiles from the past.

Lyme Regis, EnglandPlesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs have surfaced in this location.
Sussex, EnglandDr. Gideon Mantell found the first Iguanodon here.
Nice, FranceCompsognathus scampered across this region.
Bernissart, BelgiumHere, thirty-nine specimens of Iguanodon were unearthed in a coal mine.
Solnhofen, GermanyThis area yielded one of the world's most amazing fossils, Archaeopteryx.
Trossingen, GermanyPlateosaurus has been found here, as well as in numerous locations in Germany, France, and Switzerland.
South American Dinosaur Sites

South American Dinosaur Sites

Some of the world's most important dinosaurs have come from South America, including one of the most recent—Eoraptor, a tiny dinosaur found by paleontologist Paul Sereno. Eoraptor is thought to be one of the most primitive saurischians found to date.

El Breté, ArgentinaSaltasaurus, one of the few sauropods known to have had armor, lived here.
Ischigualasto, ArgentinaThis area was home to Riojasaurus, Herrerasaurus, and newcomer Eoraptor.
Santa Maria, BrazilStaurikosaurus, a primitive hunter, stalked its prey here.
Santa Cruz, ArgentinaIn this region, paleontologists have found fossils of Piatnitzkysaurus and Mussaurus.
Asian Dinosaur Sites

Asian Dinosaur Sites

The Orient has yielded some spectacular dinosaur finds, including fossil dinosaur eggs and nests. Dinosaurs have been discovered in nearly all the provinces of China. India, which was separate from Asia during the Age of Dinosaurs, was also home to a few prehistoric giants.

Gobi Desert, MongoliaThis rugged area contained the remains of Velociraptor, Protoceratops, Oviraptor, and Pinacosaurus, just to name a few.
Tiruchirapalli, IndiaA stegosaur named Dravidosaurus warmed itself here.
Meileyingzi, ChinaPsittacosaurus, a dinosaur with a parrot-like beak, was discovered in this spot.
Taihezhen, ChinaThis region was home to Tuojiangosaurus, a stegosaur.
Wujiabai, ChinaHere paleontologists found the longest-necked dinosaur, Mamenchisaurus.
African Dinosaur Sites

African Dinosaur Sites

Long before the first human ever appeared there, the continent of Africa was home to dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. This map shows some of the major dinosaur discoveries.

Atlas Mountains, MoroccoThe sail-backed dinosaur, Spinosaurus, and Cetiosaurus, a large sauropod, were unearthed here.
ZimbabweSeveral large sauropods, including Barosaurus, lived in this area.
South AfricaHeterodontosaurus and several interesting prosauropods have turned up near the tip of the continent.
Bahariya, EgyptSpinosaurus roamed this area long before it became a desert.
Tendaguru, TanzaniaThis area was the site of one of the world's most famous dinosaur digs, where more than 250 tons of bones were collected.
LesothoThis country gives its name to a little plant-eater, Lesothosaurus.
Australian Dinosaur Sites

Australian Dinosaur Sites

Australia was once connected to Antarctica and located within the Antarctic Circle. Only a few dinosaur fossils have been found in Australia.

QueenslandThis region has yielded the remains of Muttaburrasaurus, Rhoetosaurus, and Minmi.
Melbourne, VictoriaTiny Leaellynasaura, fierce Allosaurus, and a mystery dinosaur, Atlascopcoasaurus, have surfaced in this area.

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What You Need to Find a Fossil

Source: Microsoft Dinosaurs (1993) CD-ROM. Text liberated from original screen art; images & audio restored from disc. Original media is Microsoft/supplier copyright — non-commercial educational preservation. Credits & Acknowledgements