American preteens discover rare juvenile Tyrannosa

Marmarth, North Dakota – Three keen-eyed young fossil hunters made the discovery of a lifetime when they found the remains of a rare adolescent Tyrannosaurus rex that could rewrite history, scientists and researchers announced today. filmmakers.

The boys – brothers Liam and Jessin Fisher, then aged 7 and 10, and their cousin Kaiden Madsen, aged 9 – spotted a large fossilized leg bone while on a walk in the Hell Creek badlands area. , in North Dakota. on July 31, 2022.

Believing they had found a relatively common duck-billed dinosaur, they sent a photo to family friend and Marmarth native Dr. Tyler Lyson, associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, who organized a dig that began 11 months later, adding the boys and a sister, Emalynn Fisher, now 14, to its team of volunteers and paleontology experts.

While brushing a tooth shortly after arriving, Dr. Lyson realized that the boys had found a famous T. rex, a very rare juvenile specimen. The team discovered it in 11 days after about 67 million years at this location.

Airlifted onto a truck by a Black Hawk helicopter, giant plaster jackets containing the “Teen Rex” are now at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where the public can follow the preparation of the fossil in the new “Discovering Teen Rex Prep Lab.” .”

Remarkably, the secret to the discovery of the adolescent T. rex lasted nearly two years while an award-winning documentary crew, renowned paleontologists, several of the world's leading natural history museums, and top-tier animators worked together. combined to present the children's discovery in a dramatic cinematic way. .

A team from Giant Screen Films (GSF), one of the world's leading producers of large format documentaries, participated in the expedition and ran 8K cameras as the fossil's diagnostic features were discovered, including the eureka moment where Dr. Lyson confirmed that the children had found a tyrant king.

As a result, audiences can experience the adventure of discovery and excavation through a new immersive giant screen documentary, T. REX, narrated by New Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill, who played Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films.

With hat tips on famous specimens, landmark discoveries and wild cinematic depictions over the past century, GSF's documentary intersperses the remarkable expedition with cutting-edge computer footage that brings the iconic T. rex, from newborn to imposing adult, on the largest in the world. screens.

Extremely rare juvenile T. rex

“Juvenile rex specimens are extremely rare,” said Dr Lyson, who found his first dinosaur in the same area when he was 6 years old. He credits his own career to the mentorship of paleontologists who invited him to join their work in the Badlands.

“This discovery is important for researchers because the 'Teen Rex' specimen could help answer questions about how the king of the dinosaurs grew up,” he said.

The size of the specimen's tibia (shin bone), 82 cm, compared to the size of a full-grown adult's tibia (112 cm), suggests that it was between 13 and 15 years old when it died approximately 67 million years ago.

Paleontologists also estimate that “Teen Rex” probably weighed about 3,500 pounds (1,632 kg), measured about 25 feet (7.6 m) from nose to tail, and stood about 10 feet (3 m) tall, or about two-thirds the size of a full-grown adult.

“It is remarkable to consider how T. rex was able to grow from a kitten-sized newborn to the 40-foot, 8,000-pound adult predator that we know it to be,” said paleontologist Dr. Thomas Holtz. vertebrate from the University of Maryland and famous T. rex Authority.

He continued: “Scientists can really only speculate about how the 'Teen rex' might have lived and behaved, so findings like this have the potential to provide important new information about these early stages of life, when the most rapid growth probably took place.

The experience was particularly exciting for Jessin, a dinosaur enthusiast and aspiring paleontologist who dressed up as his hero, Dr. Tyler Lyson, for Halloween a few years ago.

And “helping these children experience the thrill of their discovery and be inspired by science is incredibly rewarding for me personally,” said Dr. Lyson, who himself was mentored by prominent paleontologists visiting the area when he was very young.

The boys are looking forward to visiting the “Teen Rex Prep Lab” when it opens and launches the movie in Denver on June 21. They are also excited about later screening a film for Marmarth's classmates to share in the thrill of their discovery.

With Dr. Holtz as principal advisor, the T. REX filmmakers collaborated with a consortium of paleontologists, eight leading natural history museums, and award-winning visual effects artists to create scientifically accurate models of the rex and the The prehistoric Hell Creek ecosystem, a highly studied environment. rock formation in the Upper Midwest that contains fossil remains from the Late Cretaceous, the final days of the age of dinosaurs, from Triceratops to Edmontosaurus.

Supported by a coalition of major museums around the world, the documentary features cameos from SUE, perhaps the most famous T. rex specimen ever found (Field Museum, Chicago); T. rex WYREX (Houston Museum of Natural History); T. rex THOMAS (Los Angeles Museum of Natural History) and HORRIDUS the Triceratops (Melbourne Museum).

A dream documentary story

“We could never have planned the inspiring story that unfolded in front of the cameras,” said producer and screenwriter Andy Wood. “It's remarkable that kids would find a large dinosaur, but as filming progressed, the crew realized we were witnessing something even rarer: a truly historic discovery of a T .rex. It was a real emotion.

“It’s more than just a documentary: it’s an opportunity for families to experience the thrill of discovery through the eyes of these young explorers in a format that makes you feel like you’re right alongside them “, explains the co-director/writer. David Clark.

“It’s the kind of story that documentarians dream of capturing.”

“Beyond fostering an appreciation for the fun of science, the film sends a message about the need to get out and explore,” Dr. Lyson said. “It’s a really important message that we want to convey, one that I think is just woven into this story.”

T. REX will premiere in select theaters worldwide beginning June 21, and will open in 100 cities over the coming months in all immersive museum theater formats, including large format, IMAX, 3D and giant dome.

GSF also partnered with Rextooth Studios to create a graphic novel to accompany the film.

The fossil was collected on land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (USA), permit ND2023-00084.

T. REX is a Giant Screen Films and D3D Cinema production, in partnership with:

• Field Museum, Chicago
• Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• in association with
• Cincinnati Museum Center
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• Museums Victoria, Australia and
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

Giant screen movies

Headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, GSF is one of the largest and most active large format film producers in the world. He often partnered with the National Science Foundation and pioneered large-format films that pushed the boundaries of the medium. Through the magic of immersive visual and sound technologies, GSF productions challenge the imaginations of children and adults, providing an inspiring perspective on the world and an unforgettable theatrical experience. Meaningful educational collaborations and partnerships extend the impact of each film far beyond the theater.