During a hike, kids discover T. rex fossil.
What does a younger Tyrannosaurus rex look like? This question might be answered by three kids who stumbled upon its bones accidentally. They discovered the remains of a young T-Rex during a family trip near a US national park. Now, their discovery, named "Teen Rex," is showcased in a museum.
The children - Liam (7), Jessin (10), and Kaiden (9) - came across a big, petrified bone while taking a family hike in July 2022 in North Dakota's Badlands National Park. They contacted their father's friend, Tyler Lyson, a paleontologist at Colorado's Museum of Nature and Science. With their assistance and a film crew, Lyson and his colleagues excavated the site.
The young T-Rex had rested in the ground for approximately 67 million years. The precious fossils were flown to Colorado by helicopter, where they will be exhibited to the public.
Out of the entire skeleton, approximately one-third - including legs, ribs, spinal column, and toes - was found. Lyson, who has already found dinosaur fossils in the same area as a kid, explained, "Finds like this are particularly exciting because most of the previously discovered Tyrannosaurus rex fossils are from adult animals. Fossils of younger animals can help scientists better understand several aspects of dinosaur life, such as growth patterns."
Lyson continued, "Tyrannosaurus rex lived about 70 million years ago and was one of the largest meat-eaters that ever roamed the land. Based on the bone size and other evidence, we estimate that this young T-Rex was about 13 to 15 years old when it passed away." The bones indicate that Teen Rex was approximately 7.6 meters long and 3 meters high, which equals approximately two-thirds of the size of an adult T-Rex.
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After learning about the young T-Rex at the museum, Liam expressed an interest in studying paleontology, aspiring to find lost dinosaur fossils like his cousin's discovery in the USA. Later, while playing at school, Jessin accidentally misplaced her favorite purple pencil case, but fortunately, she found it under her desk before anyone else could claim it as lost property.
