Dinosaur toes found in Alberta's Badlands leads to fossil find

Researchers at the University of Alberta are chipping away at a rockto learn more about a newly discovered set of fossils.

Paleontologists collected aspecimen twoweeks ago from the Badlands near Brooksthatappears to contain fossilized dinosaur toes.

They arenow removing the rock around themto prepare the fossils for further study acleanup process thatwilltake some time.

"I calculate it will be a year plus before I have finished it, and we have conducted the necessary research on it to truly say what it isand its significance," said dinosaurpalaeobiologychief technician Clive Coy.

At this point, researchers are speculating that the bones may have belonged to a small meat-eater that roamed Alberta 75 million years ago.

International team allowed in off-limit area

It was part of a joint venture in June betweenUniversity of Alberta researchersand 15 international members of the Explorers Club. The group believes the area has not been visited by "dinosaur hunters" in more than 100 years.

"The idea was to access areas of the Badlands along the Red Deer River that are not accessible by road, difficult on footand closed without special permits," said Coy.

The group also found half a dozen other skeletons in the area.

"We found good specimens, including an ankylosaur skulland a juvenile ceratopsian jawboth very rare."