A researcher at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has discovered dinosaur fossils that may extend the known range of Tenontosaurus, a species from approximately 115 million years ago. Jason W. Ricketts, Ph.D., an associate professor in UTEP’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, found the fossils during unrelated fieldwork at Indio Mountains Research Station, a natural laboratory owned by UTEP near Van Horn, Texas.
Ricketts explained that he was not specifically searching for fossils when he made the discovery. “I wasn’t out looking for fossils that day,” said Ricketts. “I was studying the rocks in the area 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.”
The findings are detailed in a non-peer reviewed paper titled “An Ornithopod Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of West Texas,” published by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Spencer G. Lucas, Ph.D., paleontology curator at the museum, and Sebastian G. Dalman, a doctoral student at Montana State University, coauthored the study.
According to Ricketts, dinosaur fossil discoveries in West Texas are rare; finding bones rather than footprints is especially uncommon. The largest fragment recovered is part of a femur leg bone. Previous finds of similar fossils were mostly located farther north or east in places like Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming.
“This discovery extends the known range of Tenontosaurus farther southwest than previously documented,” Ricketts explained. “Until now, fossils of this species were known primarily from localities farther north and east, such as Utah and Wyoming. This finding shows that Tenontosaurus lived as far south as West Texas.”
Tenontosaurus was a medium-sized herbivore from the Early Cretaceous period. Researchers believe this site helps clarify how these dinosaurs spread across North America and adapted to various environments.
Liz Walsh, Ph.D., interim dean of UTEP’s College of Science, commented on how such research can yield important new knowledge: “This find highlights the importance of fieldwork and the role of dedicated researchers like Dr. Ricketts in uncovering new chapters of Earth’s history,” Walsh said. “It’s also a reminder that major discoveries can happen when we least expect them.”
The fossil fragments remain under study; Ricketts hopes this will encourage further exploration in West Texas for dinosaur remains—a region still largely unexplored for such discoveries.
“This discovery shows that there’s still much to learn about our region’s prehistoric past,” he said. “It’s a privilege to contribute even a small piece to that bigger story.”
