The Land Before Podcast: Fossil Histories and Paleo Mysteries Dinosaur Ridge

In the final episode of Season One, we take a look at the iconic mighty Triceratops, inspiration for the Colorado Rockies team mascot Dinger. Plus the geological wonder of shale found on Dinosaur Ridge nearly 6,000 feet above sea level. How did this sedimentary outcrop end up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains? Special guest baseball announcer Drew Goodman delivers the final quiz of the season. Thank you for listening! Send ideas for Season Two to info@dinoridge.org and visit the website for more about this National Natural Landmark at https://www.dinoridge.org! 

In this episode, we go back to the Ice Age to a site near Dinosaur Ridge where a Columbian mammoth grave is rapidly being surrounded by a new housing development. And we go oven further back in time to the days when crocodilians inhabited Colorado waterways, including one at Dino Ridge- long before the Rocky Mountains uplifted. The state's ever-changing plant and animal history has left a treasure trove for paleontologists to study. 

In this episode, a Master Falconer describes the serious commitment involved in keeping a wild raptor; the way it might be done if dinosaurs could be captured and cared for. You cannot tame them, but you can earn their respect. And we dig into dinosaur dung to learn what clues it reveals about eating habits, especially before egg-laying. Host Erin LaCount is joined by three PhDs: Cynthia Norrgran, Nicole Peavey, and Karen Chin for this fascinating look into fossil histories and paleo mysteries.

Host Erin LaCount talks about the connection between birds and dinosaurs - and how birds have changed and stayed the same across deep time. Plus, what it's like keeping one of today's largest bird species as pets.  

Host Erin LaCount takes us back in time to explore the fossil history of the Morrison Formation apex predator from the Late Jurassic Period. The paleontologists who played roles in describing this theropod from the 1870s to the 1970s in Colorado include a teenage girl named India Wood. What makes Allosaurus different from other dinosaurs? Listen and learn!

The Stegosaurus is Colorado’s state fossil, first excavated from Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison. It’s a Jurassic creature we are still learning about. In this Bonus pre-season episode, we explore how the Stegosaurus used its mighty spiked tail, and imagine what it may have sounded like. We also talk with Colorado’s mitigation paleontologist about fossil finds near road construction sites - and what happens with those with those fossils.