Kids discover rare T. Rex fossil on a family hike
The museum described the find as a “significant moment for science.”
A rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus fossil found during a family hike will be on display this year in Denver.
While walking in North Dakota’s badlands in 2022, Jessin and Liam Fisher, their dad, Sam Fisher, and their cousin, Kaiden Madsen, made the discovery.
Recognizing the potential significance of their discovery, the family contacted their family friend, Tyler Lyson, who is now a paleontologist, to help identify their find.
In the summer of 2023, the family joined Lyson and his team at the site to excavate the fossil.
Footage by the museum shows the young fossil hunters posing with the huge Tyrannosaurus fossil before it was removed by a helicopter.
According to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the adolescent T. Rex is one of only four found worldwide.
"Juvenile [T.] rex specimens are extremely rare," Lyson said in a statement.
"This find is significant to researchers because the 'Teen Rex' specimen may help answer questions about how the king of dinosaurs grew up."
With files from April Walker. Header image:Andrey Atuchin (artist) and Denver Museum of Nature & Science)
