Tracks and tooth marks reveal bone-crushing dogs at Nebraska supervolcano ashfall site
Thirty-five years on—well, 12 million, technically—Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park continues to offer important glimpses of prehistoric life in Nebraska.
In 2026, Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park in Nebraska will mark its 35th anniversary, continuing to provide valuable insights into prehistoric life. Among the discoveries is that of bone-crushing dogs, or Borophaginae, which researchers have found footprints and tooth marks believed to be from these carnivores in the ash deposits.
These dogs, the size of wolves, likely scavenged animals killed by the volcanic ash 12 million years ago. Despite finding coprolites, fossilized feces containing bone fragments, scientists have yet to uncover skeletal remains, suggesting the dogs either survived the ashfall or departed before their preys' death. Discovered in 1971, Ashfall Fossil Beds, part of the University of Nebraska State Museum, is a unique site where fossils are studied in situ rather than relocated to a lab.
The park, which spans 360 acres near Royal, Nebraska, is celebrated for its 3D scanning technology and ongoing excavations. Matson, the park superintendent, hopes to introduce Earth system camps to educate students about the planet's complex physical, chemical, and biological processes.
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