How to read the dinosaur fossil map
The map shows 17,937 dinosaur fossil finds from 93 countries, covering 1,298 different genera. A genus is a group of closely related species, such as Tyrannosaurus or Triceratops. Each dot is one record from the Paleobiology Database, coloured by the period of its rocks. Zoomed far out, nearby finds are grouped into numbered circles: tap one to zoom in.
- Triassic. 251.9 to 201.4 million years ago
- Jurassic. 201.4 to 145 million years ago
- Cretaceous. 145 to 66 million years ago
- Spans two periods. The find’s age range straddles a boundary
Use the age slider under the map to look at any stretch from 251.9 to 66 million years ago, or the group buttons to show only meat-eaters, long-necked giants, or horned and duck-billed dinosaurs. The filters work on single dots, so zoom in past the circles. Tap a dot for the dinosaur, its age range, its rock formation and a link to the record.
A dot marks where a find was recorded, which is not always the exact spot it came out of the ground. 5% of the finds are marked approximate because the database holds only a rough position, such as the middle of a county. The panel says so when you tap one. A record is also one kind of dinosaur reported from one fossil collection, not one skeleton, so many records means many reported finds and not necessarily many animals.
How dinosaur fossils form
Almost every dinosaur that ever lived left nothing behind. A fossil forms when a body is buried quickly, under river sand, flood mud or volcanic ash, before scavengers and weather destroy it. Over a very long time, minerals seep into the bone and the sand and mud around it harden into rock.
Later the land moves. Deep rock is lifted up and worn away by wind, rivers and rain until the fossil layer is at the surface. That is why finds cluster in dry badlands, river cliffs and quarries. A place with no dots may simply have no rocks of the right age at the surface, or no one who has searched. The map shows what has been found and reported, not every dinosaur that lived.
What the three periods mean
Dinosaurs lived across three geological periods. These boundaries are from the International Chronostratigraphic Chart, rounded.
- Triassic dinosaurs: 251.9 to 201.4 million years ago, 588 finds
- Jurassic dinosaurs: 201.4 to 145 million years ago, 2,200 finds
- Cretaceous dinosaurs: 145 to 66 million years ago, 13,578 finds
The Triassic is when the first dinosaurs appear. The Jurassic, about 56.4 million years long, is the age of the giant long-necked sauropods and of Stegosaurus. The Cretaceous is the longest, at about 79 million years, and ends with the extinction 66 million years ago. It holds 76% of the finds, against 12% for the Jurassic and 3% for the Triassic, partly because it lasted longest and partly because younger rocks are more likely to survive near the surface.
The other 9% are grey because their age range spans two periods. Every find is dated to a range, not a moment, because scientists date a rock layer to a stage, often using volcanic ash above and below it. A wide range shows how loosely the rock is dated, not how long the animal lived.
Many of the great marine reptiles lived alongside the dinosaurs. See the sea floor where marine reptiles swam →
See today’s climate zones, and compare the Mesozoic greenhouse →
Where the most dinosaur fossils have been found
In the United States, Wyoming leads with 1,040 finds, then Montana (985) and New Mexico (832). Utah has 602 and Texas 448. The ranking says as much about fieldwork and publishing as about where dinosaurs lived.
Countries with the most finds
- United States (5,420 finds)
- Canada (1,673 finds)
- Spain (1,352 finds)
- China (1,187 finds)
- Mongolia (788 finds)
- Argentina (699 finds)
US states with the most finds
- Dinosaurs found in Wyoming (1,040 finds)
- Dinosaurs found in Montana (985 finds)
- Dinosaurs found in New Mexico (832 finds)
- Dinosaurs found in Utah (602 finds)
- Dinosaurs found in Colorado (484 finds)
- Dinosaurs found in Texas (448 finds)
The most recorded dinosaurs
These genera have the most finds on the map. Each has a page showing every place it has been found.
- Where was Richardoestesia found? (239 finds)
- Where was Triceratops found? (166 finds)
- Where was Saurornitholestes found? (148 finds)
- Where was Allosaurus found? (147 finds)
- Where was Paronychodon found? (141 finds)
- Where was Camarasaurus found? (138 finds)
Dinosaur fossils near me
Press Near me on the map and it zooms to where you are, then lists the nearest finds with their distances. Your browser asks permission first and your position stays on your device. You can also type a town into the search box. Some places have dinosaurs on their doorstep and others have none for hundreds of miles. The map shows dinosaurs only, so it will not list ammonites, fossil sharks or marine reptiles found near you.
A dot shows where a find was recorded, not where you may dig. Most places on the map are on private land or protected sites such as reserves and national parks, and collecting rules differ by country and often by site. Check the rules before collecting, ask the landowner, and never dig on protected sites. To see real dinosaur fossils, a local natural history museum is often the better bet.
British dinosaurs
The map holds 662 finds from 62 genera in the UK. The most recorded are Iguanodon (70), Megalosaurus (34) and Cetiosaurus (22). The Isle of Wight has 128 finds from 25 genera, led by Iguanodon. Dorset has 126 from 13 genera, led by Scelidosaurus. The full list is on the British dinosaurs page.
Dorset is home to the Jurassic Coast. That coast is mostly famous for marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, and for ammonites. Those are not dinosaurs, so they are not on this map.
Where the data comes from, and what is left out
The finds come from the Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), in a snapshot taken on 12 October 2026. It returned 22,667 records for dinosaurs and we kept 17,937. Every number on this site is worked out from that snapshot by a script, and we add no finds of our own. See all data sources and licences.
The map covers non-avian body fossils: bones, teeth and other remains of dinosaurs that were not birds. We removed 2,326 footprint records and 994 egg records, because a footprint or an egg can seldom be tied to the animal that made it. We removed 462 records of Mesozoic birds such as Archaeopteryx, and 948 records dated after the Cretaceous, which are mostly modern birds that the database files under dinosaurs.
Frequently asked questions
Where was T. rex found?
Tyrannosaurus fossils on this map come from United States (78), Canada (6) and Mexico (1). Within the United States the most finds are in North Dakota (23), Montana (20), Wyoming (14), South Dakota (11), Colorado (7) and New Mexico (3). The rock formation with the most finds is called Hell Creek, with 49. The rocks are 83.6 to 66 million years ago.
Where was Spinosaurus found?
Spinosaurus fossils on this map come from Morocco (22), Egypt (6), Algeria (5), Niger (5), Tunisia (5) and Kenya (1). The rocks are 119.6 to 72.2 million years ago.
Which US state has the most dinosaur fossils?
Wyoming has the most finds on this map, with 1,040, followed by Montana (985) and New Mexico (832). These are database records, so they reflect how much work has been published as well as where dinosaurs are buried.
Can I keep a fossil I find?
It depends on the country, the land and the fossil. On private land you need the owner’s permission. Protected sites such as national parks often forbid collecting, and in some countries fossils belong to the state. Check the rules before collecting and never dig on protected sites. If you find something important, photograph it where it lies and tell a local museum rather than digging it out.
Why are some dots approximate?
Some researchers recorded only a rough location: a coordinate rounded to a degree or one decimal place, the middle of a county, or a whole rock basin. About 5% of finds (986 of 17,937) are marked approximate for that reason. We never show a position more precisely than the database gives it.
Are birds dinosaurs?
Yes. Scientists class birds as living dinosaurs, descended from small feathered meat-eaters. This map shows non-avian dinosaurs only, the ones that died out at the end of the Cretaceous, so Mesozoic and modern birds are left out.
How old are the rocks?
The finds on this map come from rocks between 251.9 and 66 million years old, the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The oldest records come from rocks up to about 247 million years old, but some of those early animals (such as Asilisaurus) are close relatives whose place among the dinosaurs is still debated, and the first undisputed dinosaurs appear later in the Triassic. The youngest dinosaurs lived just before the extinction 66 million years ago. Each find is dated to a range, because its rock layer is dated to a stage and not to a single year.