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Ukhaa Tolgod

Located in the Gobi Desert, Ukhaa Tolgod (OOK-uh TALL-gud) is a recently discovered fossil "hot spot" for Museum paleontologists. Many spectacularly preserved skeletons from 80 million years ago have been found here, including ancient mammals and the nesting Oviraptor.

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Location: Gobi Desert, Mongolia
Exploration: the Museum team was first to identify this area's rich fossil beds in 1993
Description: miles and miles of eroded red sandstone, grass covered hills, steep cliffs, and a valley with a dry riverbed; located on the south side of the Gilvent Mountain range in the Namegt Valley of the Gobi Desert
Why It's Important: This site is rich in fossils of dinosaurs and early mammals. Many of the fossils are uncrushed, complete, and very well preserved.

Story

Buried Alive?
The ancient animals preserved at Ukhaa Tolgod died 80 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period. Some scientists think that many of the animals found in the rock at Ukhaa Tolgod were entombed by sand avalanches. These sudden walls of sand could cover an animal in an instant, but not always kill it. Several specimens were discovered in positions that suggest that they were buried alive and were trying to dig their way to the surface.

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