Very Rare Juvenile Dinosaur Fossil Discovered
Excavation Expected to Take One More Year to Complete
Elementary school students in the United States experienced a dream-like moment straight out of a scene from the movie "Jurassic Park" when they discovered fossils of the iconic dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex (T. Rex).
Three children who discovered a Tyrannosaurus fossil from tens of millions of years ago: brothers Liam (7) and Jesin (10) Fisher, and their cousin Kaiden Medson (9). [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
On the 4th (local time), foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) reported the story of three children who became "successful dinosaur enthusiasts": brothers Liam (7) and Jesin (10) Fisher, and their cousin Kaiden Medson (9). They were exploring the Mammoth site, a region famous for numerous dinosaur fossils, along with the Fisher brothers' father.
During their exploration, they found a bone protruding from the ground. At the time, they did not know to whom the bone belonged, and Liam named it "chunk-osaurus." Sam Fisher, the brothers' father, took a photo of the bone and showed it to his friend Tyler Lisson, a vertebrate paleontology curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in Colorado. Lisson initially thought the bone belonged to a relatively common hadrosaurid dinosaur. Since then, Lisson and the Fisher family began excavations together starting last summer.
As the excavation progressed, parts of the dinosaur’s lower jaw with several teeth were uncovered, and it was soon revealed that the fossil belonged to a very rare T. Rex from tens of millions of years ago. The T. Rex, owner of the fossil, is estimated to have lived about 67 million years ago and was buried in the Hell Creek Formation, which spans across Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota in the United States. This formation is composed of 91 meters of sandstone and mudstone layers and is well-known for frequent dinosaur fossil discoveries.
The dinosaur was estimated to be 13 to 15 years old at the time of death, making it a juvenile. Its body length was about 3 meters and weight approximately 1.5 tons, roughly two-thirds the size of an adult T. Rex. The fossil initially discovered by the Fisher family is believed to be the dinosaur’s shinbone. However, it is still unknown how intact the fossil remains. Well-preserved T. Rex fossils are rare worldwide, and curator Lisson explained, "More than 100 T. Rex fossils have been found so far, but most exist only partially." He added, "Most of the T. Rex fossils discovered to date are adults, so this find is very special. Having fossils of young animals can reveal secrets of dinosaur ecology such as growth patterns." So far, the dinosaur’s leg, hip, pelvis, two tail vertebrae, and part of the skull have been excavated. It is expected to take about another year to fully excavate the remaining fossils.
The Fisher family was overjoyed by the incredible discovery. Liam said that none of his friends believed he had found the fossil, and that he, Jesin, and their cousin Kaiden gave the fossil the nickname "brothers." Kaiden said that T. Rex is their favorite dinosaur and that when they learned the true identity of the fossil, "we were speechless." The Denver Museum of Nature & Science airlifted the fossil by helicopter and plans to hold a special exhibition starting on the 21st.
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