PREVIEW

A family out for a fossil-hunting hike in North Dakota had an incredible surprise as they discovered a rare T. Rex fossil dubbed ‘Teen Rex’.
Two young brothers, Jessin, 12, and Liam Fisher, nine, their dad, Sam Fisher, 45, and their cousin, Kaiden Madsen, 11, were out walking and looking for fossils when they made their incredible discovery - one of a only a handful of juvenile T. rex skeletons have ever been found.
The trio of young fossil hunters discovered the T. rex fossil in the North Dakota badlands in 2022 and contacted the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Curator of Paleontology, Tyler Lyson, who grew up in the same area and went to high school with their father, to identify what they had found. In the summer of 2023, the junior explorers returned to the site to help Dr. Lyson and and Natalie Toth’s team of palaeontologists excavate the fossil.
The excavation process, which took 11 days, involved the careful removal of overlying rock with a 70-pound jackhammer, picks, and shovels. Specialized tools and techniques were used to delicately excavate around the bones, which were embedded in sedimentary sandstone laid down by a flooding river over 66 million years ago. This sandstone had preserved the fossil until it was naturally exposed by erosion.
Once the fossil was fully exposed, it was encased in a plaster and burlap jacket, reinforced with two-by-four wood. The fossil was then transported in a helicopter net by a Black Hawk helicopter to a trailer before being driven to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.


The public can now see the fossil being prepped in real time at the Museum in Colorado.
"By going outside and embracing their passions and the thrill of discovery, these boys have made an incredible dinosaur discovery that advances science and deepens our understanding of the natural world,” said Dr. Lyson. "I'm excited for Museum guests to dig into the ‘Teen Rex Discovery’ experience, which I think will inspire the imagination and wonder, not only our community, but around the world!"
The arrival of Teen Rex at the museum generated considerable excitement. The museum's paleontologists and staff began the painstaking process of cleaning, preserving, and studying the fossil to gain insights into the life and growth of T. rex, particularly during its teenage years—a phase rarely represented in the fossil record, as most T. rex fossils are from adults.
The Fisher brothers and their cousin's remarkable discovery underscores the importance of curiosity and exploration in the field of paleontology. Their find not only adds valuable knowledge about the T. rex but also inspires future generations to appreciate and explore the wonders of our natural world.
This remarkable story was captured on film and featured in the new 40-minute documentary “T. REX,” showing on the Museum’s giant-screen Infinity Theater on June 21.