Connecticut: Eubrontes giganteus (state fossil)
Connecticut: Eubrontes giganteus (state fossil)
Connecticut's state fossil is a dinosaur footprint, Eubrontes giganteus. While it is not known exactly which species of dinosaur produced these tracks (the bones and the tracks are given different scientific names, for exactly that reason), some have suggested Dilophosaurus, a mid-size, bipedal, predatory dinosaur known from the same time.
At the time these footprints were made, during the early Jurassic Period around 200 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean was just beginning to form as North America started to split away from what would become Europe and Africa. Along the western shore of this seaway were mudflats that provided an ideal environment for the preservation of the tracks of dinosaurs that patrolled the beaches.
One of the most famous footprint sites in Connecticut is Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill. An abundance of the three-toed tracks, which are around a foot and a half long, is preserved there. The site was uncovered in 1966 during excavation for a construction project.
Eubrontes was named the state fossil by the Connecticut Legislature in 1991.
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