Dinosaur fossils found at Thornton construction site make most complete skeleton of its era

DENVER — The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has found 12 Triceratops bones at the construction site of the city of Thornton’s Public Safety Facility.

The discovery so far means the find might me the most complete Cretaceous-period skeleton found in the region.

“This is what we as curators dream about — getting a call about a possible fossil and confirming it’s not just a dinosaur fossil, but a record-breaking one,” said Joe Sertich, Denver Museum of Nature & Science curator of dinosaurs, in a prepared statement.

SPONSORED CONTENT

How Platte River Power Authority is accelerating its energy transition

Platte River Power Authority, the community-owned wholesale electricity provider for Northern Colorado, has a history of bold initiatives.

Several fossils have been exposed, and a 40-pound rib bone has been extracted and is being sent to the Museum.

The excavation team is made of Museum volunteers, the Colorado Office of Archaeology, Saunders Construction Inc. and the city of Thornton. While excavating is going on, construction on the Public Safety Facility continues.