If you ask us, there’s little cooler in the history of the world than dinosaurs, so when we found our first set of hidden dinosaur bones in Red Dead Redemption 2, we knew we’d have to hunt them all down. Of course, it also helps that locating each and every one is also part of the A Test of Faith mission for the Stranger.
There are thirty dino bones dotted across Rockstar’s generous chunk of North America, and finding each and every one of them is a task that’ll take you a long, long time. We’ve already dug our heels (and spades) into the task, and in this guide we’ll be bringing you every single dinosaur bones location that we’ve found so far.
Where to find all buried dinosaur bones
Before you begin your search, you should make sure you’ve started the A Test of Faith mission in which you’ll find paleontologist Deborah MacGuiness. Meet her on a small hill near Latneck Station, New Hanover and she’ll ask you to look for sets of dinosaur bones and mail their location to her.
With that conversation done, any time you find a set of bones you can visit a nearby post office and let MacGuiness know the location by selecting “send mail.” The first time you do this you’ll be rewarded with a valuable Quartz Chunk, a tricky to find ingredient that’s used in the crafting of rare trinkets. You can send multiple coordinates at once and won’t be rewarded again until you’ve found 15, and then all 30 of them, so your best bet is to hoover up each location before you visit the post office.
One word of warning is that, because the bones are spread all over the map, to find them all you’ll have to head into dangerous, hostile territories, so you won’t be able to find them all until you’ve made it further in the game. With that said, here are all the locations:
Thanks to our friends at Shacknews for lending us images of each of the bone sites.
Dinosaur bone 1
The first set of dinosaur bones is located in The Heartlands of New Hanover. You’ll find an Oil Derrick located just below the A and R in Hanover. Climb down the ladder there to reach the bones.
Dinosaur bone 2
The next set of bones are still in the Heartlands of New Hanover, close to the Oil Derrick from the first set. From the Derrick, follow the dried out river bed in the direction of the cliff to the south. You’ll see a big rock along the way, and near to it the bones will be poking out of the ground.
Dinosaur bone 3
We’re sticking with New Hanover for the next set, but heading further south from the first two bone groups. Follow the railway track between Lemoyne and Flatneck Station and halfway along you’ll be able to see the rib cage poking out from the soil. How did the tracklayers not spot that?
Dinosaur bone 4
The fourth dino bone group takes us over the border and into Lemoyne, just below the L on your map. Travel down Dewberry Creek toward Scarlett Meadows and look for a small section of the dried out river bed that pokes off to the side. You’ll see another ribcage sticking up from the ground here.
Dinosaur bone 5
Next up we’re heading back north in Lemoyne, just to the west of where Dewberry Creek is marked on your map, but before crossing the border into New Hanover. Once again, you’ll see a ribcage sticking out of the dirt as you exit the basin.
Dinosaur bone 6
Back in New Hanover, the sixth group of dinosaur bones can be found just above the O on the map, north of Emerald Station but south of the border. You’ll find a small wooden house here, and if you explore the gravel next to it you’ll find the bones.
Dinosaur bone 7
The seventh set of bones are still in New Hanover, next to the Kamassa River, but you can only reach them from one place. Starting from Annesburg, travel south then head to the cliffs at the river edge from the west. You’ll need to climb down the cliffs a bit to reach a small region sticking out with the bones on top.
Dinosaur bone 8
Bone set number eight is out in the middle of nowhere, close to the coast of New Hanover. The best direction we can give is to travel northeast from the Van Horn Trading Post, crossing the railway but staying to the southeast of the R in Hanover on your map. The bones are roughly halfway between the two. There’s a small opening in the forest here where the bones can be found.
Dinosaur bone 9
Next on the Paleolist is a set of bones up in the northeast of New Hanover, north of Annesburg and on the path to Roanoke Ridge. You’re looking for a waterfall that’s close to the A in Roanoke Ridge. Leave the path once you can see it and follow the top of the cliff to see a dinosaur bone sticking out above the path.
Dinosaur bone 10
The next dinosaur bone group lies directly on the border of Ambarino and new Hannover, slightly to the north between Grizzlies East and Annesburg. There’s a large rocky section here, and you’ll want to get onto the first flat platform over from the railway. Up on this plateau a dino’s jawbone will be sticking nicely from the earth.
Dinosaur bone 11
Heading further into Ambarino, travel over to where Grizzlies East is written on your map and search between the A and S in East. The bones are up on top of the rocky ridge, so you’ll need to approach from the northeast to get up there.
Dinosaur bone 12
Still in Ambarino, the next dinosaur bone is up in the northeast corner of the region, below the marker for Fairwale Shanty. You’ll find a road here with a small hill to the south of it. Up on top of the hill you’ll discover the bone craftily hidden in some bushes.
Dinosaur bone 13
Next up we’re travelling to Donner Falls in Ambarino. On the east side, close to the bottom left corner of the I in Ambarino is a red, rocky mountain. Climb your way up while keeping an eye out for some gray rocks sticking out the side. Lo and behold, some dino appendages are poking out of the mountain rock here.
Dinosaur bone 14
The next bones in Ambarino are due east from Window Rock and south of Cotorra Springs. Walking south from the train tracks you’ll reach a sharp cliff. There should be a small path down the cliff here that’ll take you to an outcropping where the bones are hiding.
Dinosaur bone 15
This next set of bones is located close to the last, between Bacchus Station and Fort Wallace. Approaching Bacchus from the south you’ll have to make your way up a rocky hill. Once at the top, look for a notably pointy rock. The dinosaur bones are tucked underneath it.
Dinosaur bone 16
The next beefy dino bone is back in New Hanover, this time in the Cumberland Forest. Make your way south from the C in Cumberland towards the cliff here. A dinosaur pelvis (we presume) is sticking out of the dirt near the edge.
Dinosaur bone 17
The seventeenth dinosaur bone set is close to home, not far north of Valentine. Travel north from the first half of the word on your map, towards a bend to the right in the Dakota River. Before you make it to the cliff edge with the bridge visible ahead of you, you need to scan the ground for a dino bone half submerged in the soil. It’s a tricky on to spot, so look around carefully.
Dinosaur bone 18
From the last bone’s position, you need to travel to the point directly opposite on the north side of the Dakota River (south of the D on the map). The bone is embedded in the cliff wall here.
Dinosaur bone 19
The Dakota River continues to deliver, and this dinosaur bones collection can be found in the cliff wall once again. This time you’ll want to head south from Downes Ranch to the wide bend in the river. Follow the road here and look for a path off that travels up to the cliff face. Reach the wall and a well-preserved dino arm will be sitting in it.
Dinosaur bone 20
For the next bone we’re finally heading the West Elizabeth. Close to the train tracks south of Grizzlies West and northwest from Wallace Station. There’s a small cave you can reach off the road here. Make your way through it and you’ll discover the dino bones at the end of it.
Dinosaur bone 21
Moving on to Big Valley, West Elizabeth, this dinosaur spine is halfway up a hill, on the track towards the main road. It’s position on the dotted path right between the W and E of West Elizabeth.
Dinosaur bone 22
The next dinosaur bone is a touch further south in West Elizabeth. You’ll want to follow the path southwest from Mount Shann until you reach Beryl’s Dream. You’ll find a rocky ledge sticking out of the hill here, and buried in it are the dinosaur bones.
Dinosaur bone 23
Dinosaur Bones 23 and onward can only be found once you've accessed New Austin in the latter end of the game. This bone is located on a trail in Hennigan's Stead, just south of the first N on your map. Making you way through the canyon you'll see the the bone sticking out of the floor on the west edge of the canyon.
Dinosaur bone 24
The next bone is close to San Luis river in New Austin, north of the gap between the S and A on your map. If you follow the river along until you're north of the small island here, you should find the bone inland slightly and close to a cactus.
Dinosaur bone 25
For the next set of bones you need to travel to Rio Del Lobo in New Austin. Arriving from the north you'll find a path to follow round the edge of the cliff that overlooks the river. As you approach the K in Rock you'll spot the bone sticking from the ground.
Dinosaur bone 26
The 26th Dino Bone set is in Rio Bravo, New Austin. You'll find it south of Fort Mercer, after climbing up a rocky hill until you reach a flat region at the top.
Dinosaur bone 27
The next set of bones are located north of Mercer Station. You'll need to travel roughly halfway toward Jorge's Gap in a north-northwesterly direction. If you climb the hill on this route to the top then you'll find the dino bone. It's quite tough to spot but it should look like a flat ribcage close to a cactus.
Dinosaur bone 28
The next set of bones are right next Rattlesnake Hollow in Cholla Spring, New Austin. Travelling west from Rattlesnake Hollow you'll encounter a number of caves. Rather than entering, you'll find the bone sticking out of the wall to the left of the caves.
Dinosaur bone 29
The penultimate set of dinosaur bones is in Gaptooth Ridge, New Austin. You'll want to search between the D and G in Ridge on your map. Climb up to the eastern side of the canyon you cross next to the D and you'll find the bone sticking out from the groung at the edge of the canyon.
Dinosaur bone 30
The final destination in your hunt for every dinosaur bone in Red Dead Redemption 2 is close to Tumbleweed, New Austin. Make your way to the top of the hill south of the town, and search directy below the L in Tumbleweed in your map. Look out over the land and you'll see the dinosaur bone sticking out from the ground at the cliff's edge.
Phew! Finding all of those bones was certainly an involved effort, so make sure you give yourself a pat on the back for finishing. Don't forget to travel to a post office to send the locations off to Deborah MacGuinness. Your reward will arrive a few days after you do so. While you wait for your prize, you can fill your time with any of the other exhaustive Red Dead Redemption 2 guides we have. We can teach you where to find all Amazing Inventions Cigarette Cards, or if hunting is more your thing, read our guide for where to find and hunt the Legendary Moose! Still early in your adventure? Knowing how to get your hands on the pump-action shotgun may be of use too...
