Dog Walk Leads To Dino Treasure Trove When Man Sees A Massive Bone Stuck In The Ground
Damien Boschetto, a 25-year-old amateur paleontologist, made an incredible discovery last year while walking his dog in a forest tucked away in scenic southern France.
According to CNN, Boschetto’s walk took an unexpected turn when he noticed a bone protruding from the earth near a cliff edge.
Little did he know, he was about to uncover the remains of a 32.8-foot fossil Titanosaur, a behemoth of a long-necked sauropod that roamed the earth until around the end of the Cretaceous period some 66 million years ago.
Source: Ark Survival Evolution, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Describing the moment of discovery to local news France Bleu, Boschetto recalled, “It happened one morning like any other, during an ordinary walk. While walking the dog, a landslide on the edge of the cliff exposed the bones of various skeletons.”
The find sent shockwaves through the paleontology community, with experts marveling at the near-pristine condition of the Titanosaur skeleton. “From a museography point of view, it will make it possible to present to the general public animals almost complete in anatomical positions, which is something great,” Boschetto shared with CNN.
Source: Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED
Local archaeologists and paleontologists were understandably over the moon. “The most exciting thing was to realize that we had at least one anatomically connected animal and that it was a titanosaur, a long-necked dinosaur,” said Jean-Marc Veyssières, a member of the local Archaeological and Paleontological Cultural Association.
Boschetto’s find wasn’t a one-off stroke of luck either. The area where he made his discovery is basically a prehistoric gold mine, teeming with the bones of other ancient creatures like the Rhabdodon and the fearsome Theropods.
As for Boschetto himself, he’s decided to ditch his day job and pursue a master’s degree in paleontology.
And who can blame him? When your dog walks lead to uncovering secrets buried for millions of years, it’s hard to resist the call of the dinosaurs.
If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.
