Unexpected find at Indio Mountains Research Station
EL PASO, Texas — A University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) researcher has uncovered fossilized dinosaur bone fragments that may expand the documented range of the Early Cretaceous ornithopod Tenontosaurus.
Jason W. Ricketts, Ph.D., an associate professor in UTEP’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, discovered the material while conducting unrelated geological fieldwork at the Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS), a natural research area of more than 41,000 acres in southeastern Hudspeth County, roughly 26 miles southwest of Van Horn.
"I wasn’t out looking for fossils that day," Ricketts said. "I was studying the rocks when I noticed fragments weathering out of soft shale. There was no need to excavate — I simply picked them up. It was an unexpected and exciting find, and my family even came out with me to help collect the pieces."
What was found
The specimens were recovered as individual fragments. The largest piece has been identified as part of a femur (thigh) bone. Although incomplete, the material is considered scientifically valuable because dinosaur bones (as opposed to tracks) are uncommon in Central and West Texas.
Study and context
The discovery is described in a non-peer-reviewed paper titled An Ornithopod Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of West Texas, recently published by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. The paper lists Spencer G. Lucas, Ph.D., paleontology curator at the museum, and Sebastian G. Dalman, a doctoral student at Montana State University, as coauthors alongside Ricketts.
Prior to this find, comparable Tenontosaurus material had been reported from regions such as Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming, as well as other parts of Texas. This West Texas occurrence therefore extends the known southwestern limit of the genus' documented range.
Significance and next steps
Tenontosaurus was a medium-sized, herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period. The new West Texas site provides an important data point for understanding how these ornithopods dispersed across North America and adapted to diverse environments.
Liz Walsh, Ph.D., interim dean of the UTEP College of Science, praised the discovery as a reminder of the value of fieldwork and the possibility of major finds in unexpected places. Ricketts hopes the discovery will spur further paleontological exploration in West Texas, a region he describes as "largely underexplored" for dinosaur remains.
Note: the published description is not peer-reviewed; further analysis and potential additional fieldwork may refine identification and age assessments.
