The young boy’s astonishing find of a near 50 million year old fossilised turtle shell marked a once-in-a-lifetime discovery and huge celebrations for palaeontologists.
Touren Pope was exploring public land in Wyoming in the US last autumn when he noticed something that didn’t quite fit in.
What he had actually found was a shockingly well-preserved soft-turtle shell preserved for nearly 50 million years. The discovery quickly turned a routine family outing into a landmark moment for the region.
Touren’s mother, Tessa Patterson, said she was stunned when his grandparents texted her the photo. “It blew all of our minds, We’re like ‘What is this’?” she told Wyoming Public Media. The family reported the find to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and experts were sent to investigate the site.
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JP Cavigelli, museum collections specialist at the Tate Geological Museum, in Casper, Wyoming, volunteered to help with the excavation efforts. “Within a few minutes we could tell it was a pretty complete turtle shell and worth collecting,” he said.
The fossil was carefully excavated and stabilised before being transported to the museum, where it is now being cleaned for research and prepared for future public display. Officials praised Touren’s scrupulous eye and quick-thinking decisions in alerting the authorities.
A spokesperson for the BLM said: “This discovery would not have been possible without Touren’s keen observation for fossils and his decision to report the fossil to the BLM.”
The shell, crystallised across time by virtue of remaining buried underground, works as a hinge between modern and ancient times in southwest Wyoming.
The preservation of the soft-shelled turtle offers a glimpse into the once-tropical floodplain of the now arid Greater Green River Basin and the sea creatures that circulated its rivers and streams.
Craig Thomas, archaeologist and paleontology field coordinator for the BLM Rock Springs Field Office, said that Touren’s discovery helped to save the rare specimen from damage due to exposure.
“If we don’t find them in time, they tend to denigrate rapidly when they reach the surface,” Thomas told Wyoming Public Media.
BLM said of the discovery: “it not only helped preserve an important piece of Wyoming’s paleontological history but also highlighted the role the public plays in protecting and responsibly reporting scientific resources found on public lands.”
BLM’s final gesture of gratitude to Touren was to allow him to name the fossil.
At the age of 48million years old, the prehistoric reptile is now christened as “Little Timmy”.
