12-Year-Old Uncovers A 69-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Fossil While Hiking In Canada

Terri Trembath/CBC/NCC

Alot of kids dream of becoming dinosaur experts when they grow up. But one kid in particular just got a glimpse of what it would be like to work his dream job as a paleontologist after he discovered the bones of a 69-million-year-old dinosaur.

12-year-old Nathan Hrushkin was out hiking in Alberta, Canada, with his father when he came across something remarkable. The boy alerted his father after he noticed what looked like a giant fossil protruding out of the ground.

“The first thing I said was, ‘Dad, you need to get up here,’” recalled Hrushkin. “My dad said that he could tell by the tone in my voice that I had found something really good.”

Suspecting they had found something significant but still unsure, the father-son duo sent a photo of their finding to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. The institute confirmed their suspicion: they had indeed found a real dinosaur bone. It was identified as part of a young hadrosaur, commonly known as a duck-billed dinosaur.

The museum sent experts to the Horseshoe Canyon area where the discovery was made to inspect the specimen up close. The area is part of the Nodwell property under the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) which confirmed the Hrushkins’ discovery of the fossil.

“The discovery of this dinosaur on a conservation site demonstrates the need for land conservation,” the NCC wrote in their statement a few months following the excavation in July 2020, “not just to ensure the conservation of wild spaces for future generations, but also as an opportunity to learn about our natural heritage.”

According to the NCC, the geological makeup of the property represents a time period between 71 and 68 million years ago, reflected through layers of volcanic ash, sandstones, mudstones, and, of course, prehistoric specimens.

The fossil uncovered by the aspiring paleontologist is made even more remarkable due to the fact that discoveries from that era have been extremely rare.

Following the recovery of the fossil, which was part of the hadrosaur’s arm, researchers have uncovered between 30 and 50 bones in the canyon’s wall, all belonging to the same individual dinosaur. The fossil specimens were removed in protective jackets made of burlap and plaster and brought back to the museum lab for further analysis.

The fact that the fossil was located inside layers of canyon rock dating back 69 million years ago is also noteworthy since “fossil discoveries are rare in this geological layer,” according to the NCC. The experience of uncovering a real dinosaur fossil has been a dream come true for Hrushkin.

“For me it’s just amazing because I’ve been aspiring to be a paleontologist for as long as I can remember,” the preteen said.

Both father and son hope to someday view the dinosaur they helped find displayed inside a museum.