Africa in Nebraska

Africa in Nebraska. . , Toadstool’s Trackway , Imagine miniature rhinos, pig-like animals, giant tortoises, and tiny horses traveling the plains before you. These are just a few of the animals that came here to hunt, rest, and drink from the wide shallow river, leaving their prints in the sandbars and shores.

The Golden Age of Mammals , The Eocene and Oligocene geologic epochs - The Golden Age of Mammals - are magnificiently preserved here. The White River Group represents the "type section," or geologic standard, for rocks during this time. Scientists from all over the world come here to study the fossils and trackways contained within the ancient rock, as well as the geologic history that shaped the land and supported life.

African Savanna Here? , Toadstool Geologic Park captures a slice of life when Nebraska resembled the savannahs of Africa and supported an abundance of wildlife. In time, these animals became extinct, or evolved into modern species, including zebras, camels, horses, and rhinoceroses, after migrating to Africa.

Captions: , Note the trackways created by prehistoric animals in this photo. As the softer deposits eroded underneath the tracks, the trackway broke and fell into the ravine. The majority of these tracks were made by the subhyracodon. Tracks from hyrachodons, enteledonts, and stylemys with a scattering of cat tracks can also be found. , All fossil collecting in the Toadstool Special Interest Area is prohibited by law and subject to fines and penalties. Collection of vertebrate fossils outside of Toadstool on public lands is also prohibited.