North Dakota Boys Discover an Extremely Rare T. Rex Fossil
Three young boys from North Dakota made a remarkable discovery that could change our understanding of dinosaurs. Brothers Liam and Jessin Fisher, along with their cousin Kaiden Madsen, uncovered a highly rare Tyrannosaurus rex fossil during a hike in July 2022.
Their extraordinary find is now being immortalized in a documentary titled “T. Rex,” narrated by “Jurassic Park” star Sir Sam Neill, known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant. The film is set to debut on June 21 and chronicles the boys' unexpected journey from a routine hike in the Hell Creek formation to the discovery of the fossil.
The region, near the Canadian border, was once a prehistoric environment similar to modern-day Florida, teeming with ancient turtles, fish, crocodiles, and, of course, dinosaurs. The boys initially thought they had found a common duckbill dinosaur fossil, known for its distinctive head shape.
“I went up to a ledge with my dad and then he and I spotted the bones,” Liam, 9, told The Post. “We called for Jessin and Kaiden, and Jessin said, ‘That’s a dinosaur.'”
Jessin, 12, who dreams of becoming a paleontologist, played a crucial role in identifying the fossil. Despite numerous previous expeditions yielding only buffalo and cow bones, Jessin recognized these bones were much larger. “It was pretty cool,” he said.
The family sent a photo of the find to Dr. Tyler Lyson, the associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. After a year of paperwork, they returned to the site for a thorough excavation. The brothers' mother Danielle and sister Emalynn, 14, also joined the dig, with Jessin and Lyson working closely to unearth the creature’s neck, jaw, and teeth.
“To go out with the intent of finding a dinosaur fossil and your first one is a T. rex? That is, even being conservative, one in a million,” Lyson told The Post.
The documentary crew captured the entire uncovering process. “Never in a million years did I think we would chronicle the discovery of a T. rex in real time,” producer Andy Wood told The Post.
Kaiden, 11, said he was speechless, while their mother Danielle admitted, “I started bawling when I saw it.” Initially skeptical, she soon realized the significance of their find.
The fossil turned out to be a unique juvenile T. rex, essential for understanding the growth rate and skeletal changes of the species. “If we want to understand how quickly a T. rex grew up from a little chick-sized animal into an 8,000-pound monster, we need juveniles,” Lyson explained.
A Black Hawk helicopter transported the plaster-covered “teen rex” bones to a truck, and Lyson drove 10 hours back to the Denver Museum, ensuring the 6,000-pound payload arrived safely. Further analysis revealed the 10-foot-tall young T. rex likely weighed 3,500 pounds and was about two-thirds the size of an adult, estimated to be between 13 and 15 years old.
“I’m excited for my friends to see the film,” Liam said. “They don’t believe me that I found a T. rex.”
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