• Badlands formations against the blue sky; photo by Rikk Flohr

    Badlands

    National Park South Dakota

The Saber Site & Prep Lab

Saber tooth cat skull
In May 2010, a seven year girl named Kylie found a fossil near the visitor center at Badlands National Park. She did the right thing. She reported her find to rangers. It turned out to be an exceptionally rare and well-preserved saber tooth cat fossil. A survey of the area led to the discovery of additional fossil material. The area is now known as the Saber Site.
 

Closed for the Season

The Saber Site Fossil Quarry and Fossil Preparation Lab are closed for the season. The sites will reopen in June 2013. Please visit us next summer.

Visitors can watch paleontologists at work and learn more about the scientific discoveries being made.

 
  • Saber Site Flickr Photo Stream Saber Site Flickr Photo Stream

    Watch for photo updates and short videos from the Saber Site and lab. Read More

  • Saber Site for Teachers Saber Site for Teachers

    Find lesson plan and teaching materials related to Kylie's Fossil Find and the Saber Site. Read More

  • Kylie's Fossil Find Video Kylie's Fossil Find Video

    Watch this 5 min video to learn about 7 year old Kylie's fossil discovery. Read More

  • @BadlandsEdu @BadlandsEdu

    Follow @BadlandsEdu on Twitter! Read More

Did You Know?

Painting of a mosasaur

During the Age of Dinosaurs, a warm, shallow sea covered the Great Plains, including what is now Badlands. Since dinosaurs were land creatures, no fossils of these animals have been found in the park. Giant marine lizards called mosasaurs swam in the ancient sea, along with sea turtles and fish.