Three pre-teen dinosaur enthusiasts discovered the rare remains of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex in North Dakota’s Hell Creek formation in July 2022. Brothers Liam and Jessin Fisher, and cousin Kaiden Madsen, found a fossilized leg bone, later identified as a juvenile T-Rex by paleontologist Tyler Lyson. The specimen, dubbed “Teen Rex,” offers valuable insights into T-Rex growth and development.
What did you do for summer vacation? Three young dinosaur enthusiasts have an unforgettable answer: they discovered the remains of a rare juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex in the North Dakota dirt. On Tuesday, scientists and filmmakers announced that brothers Liam and Jessin Fisher, aged seven and ten at the time of the discovery, along with their nine-year-old cousin Kaiden Madsen, were exploring the Hell Creek formation of the Badlands in July 2022 when they found a large fossilized leg bone.
“Dad asked, ‘What is this?’ and Jessin said, ‘That’s a dinosaur!'” exclaimed young Liam on a video call with his brother, cousin, father Sam Fisher, dinosaur experts, and reporters. They clicked a pic and sent it to a family friend, vertebrate paleontologist Tyler Lyson of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, according to a statement.
When Lyson eventually arrived at the site, he uncovered a tooth. He quickly realized the significance of what the young fossil hunters had found: an “extremely rare” juvenile T-Rex specimen that lived 67 million years ago, which could provide crucial insights into the development of the king of dinosaurs.
“It still gives me goosebumps,” Lyson recalled during the call. Kaiden’s reaction upon learning it was a T-Rex? “This is pretty cool, I can’t believe we just found this.” According to a statement, they took a photo and sent it to a family friend, vertebrate palaeontologist Tyler Lyson of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Paleontologists estimate the “Teen Rex” weighed about 3,500 pounds
Kaiden’s reaction upon learning it was a T-Rex? “This is pretty cool, I can’t believe we just found this.” The fossilized bones were excavated, placed in giant plaster jackets, and lifted by a Black Hawk helicopter onto a truck. They were taken to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where the public can soon follow the progress of the fossil’s preparation in a new discovery lab. Remarkably, the story is only coming to light now, after a documentary crew and renowned scientists coordinated in secret for nearly two years with top natural history museums to present the kids’ discovery.
Paleontologists estimate the “Teen Rex” weighed about 3,500 pounds (1,630 kilograms), measured 25 feet (7.6 meters) from nose to tail, and stood about 10 feet tall — about two-thirds the size of a fully grown adult. It was believed to be 13-15 years old when it died. “It’s remarkable to consider how T. rex might have grown from a kitten-sized hatchling into the 40-foot, 8,000-pound adult predator we are familiar with,” Thomas Holtz, a vertebrate paleontologist from the University of Maryland and a renowned T-Rex authority, said in the statement. A documentary about the discovery premieres on June 21 and will be shown in 100 cities in IMAX, 3D, and other formats. “This is the kind of story that documentary filmmakers dream of capturing,” co-director David Clark said in the statement. As for the kids, Liam and cousin Kaiden said they’ll continue as amateur dinosaur sleuths, exploring the Badlands for new discoveries.
But Jessin aspires to become a full-time palaeontologist. “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine — probably because I’ve seen the Jurassic Park movie, and found this” T-Rex fossil, he said. Meanwhile, Jessin offered sage advice for his peers: “Put down their electronics and just go out hiking.”