Fruita, Colorado Riggs and crew found nearly two thirds of an "Apatosaurus excelsus" skeleton (commonly known as a Brontosaurus) on the northeast side of Dinosaur Hill, in Fruita. This is still considered to be one of the finest specimens known. Later, other sauropod bones were also found, which eventually led to the landmark's name. The animals were from the late Jurassic Age (150 million years ago) and within the Morrison Formation. Fossils of the "Fruitadens" (a heterodontosaurid dinosaur), the world's smallest known plant-eating dinosaur, were first found in the Fruita Paleontological Area (within the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area) off Kings View
Barosaurus Barosaurus Barosaurus ( ) was a giant, long-tailed, long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur closely related to the more familiar "Diplodocus". Remains have been found in the Morrison Formation from the Upper Jurassic Period of Utah and South Dakota (and possibly Africa, as exemplified by the Kadsi Formation). It is present in stratigraphic zones 2-5. The composite term "Barosaurus" comes from the Greek words "barys" (βαρυς) meaning "heavy" and "sauros" (σαυρος) meaning "lizard"; thus "heavy lizard". "Barosaurus" was an enormous animal, with some adults measuring more than 26 meters (85 feet) in length and weighing more than 20 metric tons (22 short tons).