South Dakota State Fossil

Triceratops

South Dakota State Fossil

replicaSDtriceratopsSkull.jpg

Replica of famous South Dakota triceratops skull

Triceratops skull; replica of the famous South Dakota fossil skull. Photo by Kit Dunsmore/Flickr (Use Permitted with Attribution/Share Alike).

Official State Fossil of South Dakota

In 1988, South Dakota designated the triceratops fossil that was discovered in Harding County in 1927 as the official state fossil. The triceratops skeleton is on display at the Museum of Geology in Rapid City, South Dakota. All State Dinosaurs & Fossils

Triceratops Facts

The iconic triceratops lived about 68 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period. Triceratops was a vegetarian dinosaur with a bony frill and fearsome horns for defense from predators like Tyrannosaurus rex.

South Dakota

Source | Reference Links | Additional Resources

Source:

South Dakota Facts: South Dakota Tourism

South Dakota Legislative Manual

Reference:

All State Fossils

All South Dakota Symbols & Icons

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Images

Triceratops dinosaur fossil at the American Museum of Natural History; photo by Jennifer Feuchter on Flickr (use permitted with attribution). All State Fossils

Triceratops dinosaur fossil; photo by Geoff Livingston on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike)

Triceratops fossil skull; photo by Peter Eimon on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike).

State Symbols USA

Triceratops