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
Wyoming Dinosaur Center on the property is from the "Something Interesting" or SI excavation site. This site presents the rare occurrence of both dinosaur trace fossils and body fossils including footprints of many Sauropods and "Allosaurus" as well as skeletal remains from "Camarasaurus, Diplodocus," and "Apatosaurus" - three of the sauropods most common in the area during the Late Jurassic. Most of the bones belong to a juvenile (30 foot long) "Camarasaurus" that was scavenged by many "Allosaurs". This is known based on the presence of both teeth and claw marks on many of the bones present as well as an abundance of