Paleontology in Nebraska
[1]: 186 During the early Paleozoic, Nebraska was covered by a shallow sea that was probably home to creatures like brachiopods, corals, and trilobites.
The Triassic and Jurassic are missing from the local rock record, but evidence suggests that during the Cretaceous the state was covered by the Western Interior Seaway, where ammonites, fish, sea turtles, and plesiosaurs swam.
Ice Age Nebraska was subject to glacial activity and home to creatures like the giant bear Arctodus, horses, mammoths, mastodon, shovel-tusked proboscideans, and Saber-toothed cats.
Local Native Americans devised mythical explanations for fossils like attributing them to water monsters killed by their enemies, the thunderbirds.
After formally trained scientists began investigating local fossils, major finds like the Agate Springs mammal bone beds occurred.
Nevertheless, the fossil record of nearby states suggests that Nebraska was probably home to brachiopods, corals, and trilobites.
On occasion during the Cenozoic, volcanic activity in the Rocky Mountains covered regions of the state in ash.
[1]: 189 The Oligocene wildlife of Scotts Bluff National Monument left behind footprints that would later fossilize in the sediments of the Arikaree beds.
Other Agate Springs fossils included bears, the pig-like Dinohyus, horses, the chimerical looking perissodactyl Moropus, rhinos, and tapirs.
[2] Early in the ensuing Pleistocene epoch, Nebraska was home to Giganticamelus fricki a gigantic camel more than eleven feet tall.
Ice Age wildlife of Nebraska included the giant bear Arctodus, horses, jaguars, mammoths, mastodons, shovel-tusked proboscideans, saber-toothed cats, and tapirs.
[1]: 189 Woolly mammoth remains were preserved most abundantly in the western half of the state in areas like Dawes and Sioux Counties.
According to folklorist Adrienne Mayor, these supposed arrowheads were likely fossil belemnites, which were compared to missiles by other indigenous American cultures, like the Zuni people.
[11]: 211 The Cheyenne believe that there were many different kinds of water monsters that lived not only in lakes, rivers, and springs but also high bluffs and hills.
Even in modern times, tradition-minded Cheyenne sometimes take pains to avoid sleeping to close to springs due to fears of water monsters.
[12] In 1867, a government survey led by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden discovered mammoth and mastodon fossils in Sheridan County.
The following year, the American Museum of Natural History successfully recovered nine additional camel skeletons from the site Loomis discovered.
[1]: 190–191 In 1961, the University of Nebraska opened the Trailside Museum of Natural History at Fort Robinson State Park, which was converted from the Post Theater.
The museum houses many fossils and its creation has been regarded as one of the University of Nebraska's most significant contributions to local paleontology.
[1]: 186 Two years later, in 1963, the University of Nebraska reopened its Mastodon Quarry at Red Cloud in the southern part of the state, and important finds were made during the ensuing field work.
