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Agate Fossil Beds - A Land That Time Forgot

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Agate Fossil Beds Unearthed in the panhandle that is western Nebraska, the Agate Fossil Beds are a fascinating monument documenting ancient history. From the associated museum, a steep, 3-mile trail leads up to Fossil Hills where the old dig site can still be seen. At the end of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago, this area was a tropical lowland and mammals began to emerge. Volcanic activity was intense and a range of mountains started to form in the west while the climate became cooler and drier, transforming the region into a great savanna where immense herds of animals grazed on lush grasses. Common species on the prairie were Palaeocastor - a dry land beaver, Moropus - a distant relative of the horse, Menoceras - a three-foot-tall rhino and Stenomylus - a tiny gazelle-camel. Carnivores evolved to prey on these plains-dwellers the most notorious of which were Daphoenodon - a fearsome beardog and Dinohyus - a terrible hog endowed with bone-crushing teeth enabling it to scavenge