Rare 'adolescent' T. Rex fossil discovered by three children hiking in North Dakota

Going on a family hike may not be everyone's idea of ​​a good time, but for three North Dakota kids, their outing led them to discover a young T. rex skeleton, which is now on display in a museum.

Jessin and Liam Fisher, their father, Sam Fisher, and their cousin, Kaiden Madsen were walking in the badlands of North Dakota in 2022 when they discovered the bones. The three children were already passionate about fossils and frequently went looking for them. Coincidentally, Sam Fisher also went to school with Dr. Tyler Lyson, curator of paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, whom he contacted to identify fossils.

The following summer, the children returned to the site to help excavate the juvenile. T. rex with Dr. Lyson's team of paleontologists. This process included packaging the T. rex fossil in plaster, then using a helicopter to move the specimen onto a nearby trailer.

Analysis revealed that the fossil preserves about 30 percent of the skeleton and has a tibia measuring 82 centimeters (32 inches) in length. An adult T. rex reportedly had a tibia length of approximately 112 centimeters (44 inches), leading paleontologists to believe it was a juvenile.

The discovery is all the more impressive as only a few juveniles T. rex skeletons have never been found. “By going outside and embracing their passions and the thrill of discovery, these boys made an incredible dinosaur discovery that advances science and deepens our understanding of the natural world,” Dr. Lyson said in a statement.

In addition to being exhibited as part of an experience titled “Discovering Teen Rex,” a film about the discovery will also be shown at the museum on June 21.