This Is How Many Dinosaur Fossils Have Been Found In Nebraska

Humans' fascination with dinosaurs dates back centuries. Before the scientific designation of a group of animals called dinosaurs came sometime in the 1840s, some people believed the dinosaur fossils they found were anything from massive dragon bones to the bones of a human giant. Since then, every American state has searched their soil for dinosaur fossils —And some have come up with more than others.

Stacker compiled a list of the states with the most dinosaur fossil finds. They consulted the Paleobiology Database, a non-profit public resource that brings together fossil records from research institutions around the world, to make their ranking. Nebraska came in at no. 24 with 58 total fossils recorded. Here's what they had to say about Nebraska's dinosaur fossil finds:

A 12-million-year-old volcano ash cloud killed prehistoric creatures, but it also protected their parts for paleontologists to study later. Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park is where said paleontologists gather annually in the summer to discover more relics from the period. At the same time, Fort Robinson State Park’s Trailside Museum houses two massive mammoth fossils. The animal fossils, unearthed in 1962, are locked together by their horns, meaning they were killed while face to face.

While Kentucky, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin all have no recorded dinosaur fossils, California comes in at no. 1 with 1,988 fossils.