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Allosaurus
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===Cleveland-Lloyd discoveries=== [[File:Allosaurus atrox Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry.jpg|thumb|''A. fragilis'' at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry museum, Utah]] Although sporadic work at what became known as the [[Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry]] in [[Emery County, Utah|Emery County]], Utah, had taken place as early as [[1927 in paleontology|1927]] and the fossil site itself described by [[William Lee Stokes|William L. Stokes]] in [[1945 in paleontology|1945]],<ref name=WJS45>{{cite journal |last=Stokes |first=William L. |year=1945 |title=A new quarry for Jurassic dinosaurs |journal=Science |volume=101 |issue=2614 |pages=115β117 |doi=10.1126/science.101.2614.115-a |pmid=17799203|bibcode = 1945Sci...101..115S |s2cid=13589884 }}</ref> major operations did not begin there until [[1960 in paleontology|1960]]. Under a cooperative effort involving nearly 40 institutions, thousands of bones were recovered between 1960 and [[1965 in paleontology|1965]], led by James Henry Madsen.<ref name="JM76"/> The quarry is notable for the predominance of ''Allosaurus'' remains, the condition of the specimens, and the lack of scientific resolution on how it came to be. The majority of bones belong to the large theropod ''Allosaurus fragilis'' (it is estimated that the remains of at least 46 ''A. fragilis'' have been found there, out of at a minimum 73 dinosaurs) and the fossils found there are disarticulated and well-mixed. Nearly a dozen scientific papers have been written on the [[taphonomy]] of the site, suggesting numerous mutually exclusive explanations for how it may have formed. Suggestions have ranged from animals getting stuck in a bog, becoming trapped in deep mud, falling victim to drought-induced mortality around a waterhole, and getting trapped in a spring-fed pond or seep.<ref name="APHetal06">{{cite book |last1=Hunt |first1=Adrian P |last2=Lucas, Spencer G.|last3= Krainer, Karl|last4= Spielmann, Justin |year=2006 |chapter=The taphonomy of the [[Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry]], Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Utah: a re-evaluation |editor=Foster, John R. |editor2=Lucas, Spencer G. |title=Paleontology and Geology of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation |series=New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, '''36''' |publisher=New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science |location=Albuquerque, New Mexico |pages=57β65}}</ref> Regardless of the actual cause, the great quantity of well-preserved ''Allosaurus'' remains has allowed this genus to be known in great detail, making it among the best-known of all theropods. Skeletal remains from the quarry pertain to individuals of almost all ages and sizes, from less than {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=off}}<ref name="LSCC03"/> to {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=off}} long, and the disarticulation is an advantage for describing bones usually found fused.<ref name="JM76"/> Due to being one of Utah's two fossil quarries where numerous ''Allosaurus'' specimens have been discovered, ''Allosaurus'' was designated as the [[state fossil]] of Utah in [[1988 in paleontology|1988]].<ref name=statefossil>{{cite web|url=http://pioneer.utah.gov/research/utah_symbols/fossil.html |title=Utah Symbols β State Fossil |access-date=June 16, 2010 |publisher=Pioneer: Utah's Online Library, State of Utah |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108021254/http://pioneer.utah.gov/research/utah_symbols/fossil.html |archive-date=January 8, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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