Paleontology Laboratory Open House
Did you know Anza-Borrego is one of the few places in California that have fossil tracks and trackways? That in the 1920s-1950s news articles were reporting dinosaur tracks in the Anza-Borrego Desert to promote tourism of the area? What animal made those tracks?
The tracks are what are called “trace fossils,” and they record the presence of camels, horses, birds, and others – the Track Makers who were here during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Where can you see them? Most of our tracks and trackways were discovered in the 1980s. Some are at the Stout Research Center Collection Hall.
Visit us during Open House to view a portion of our fossil track collection and the bones of the track makers. We will also be showing our work using 3D photogrammetry to create digital images and printable models of these ephemeral fossils. In the Paleontology Laboratory we are preparing our latest mammoth skull, numerous mammoth bones, and a giant land tortoise – all will be on display.