12-Year-Old Finds 80-Million-Year-Old Sea Monster Fossil

Corbin Bullard wasn't expecting to make history when he joined his 4-H Geology Club on a field trip to Jewell County, Kansas last September. But when the 12-year-old geology enthusiast looked down and said "Whoa," he'd just spotted something that hadn't seen daylight in 80 million years.

The Clearwater student had discovered seven or eight large vertebrae jutting from the ground. They turned out to be part of a tylosaurus, a massive sea creature that once swam where Kansas farmland now sits.

"Pretty much all of the middle of America used to be underwater," Corbin explained. The tylosaurus wasn't a dinosaur but a mosasaur, a marine reptile that ruled the inland sea covering the Great Plains during the Cretaceous period.

The discovery required three separate trips to fully excavate. Corbin carefully extracted eight pieces of fossil that, when assembled, measure over 15 feet tall.

Since September, the young paleontologist has spent at least 30 hours meticulously cleaning his find. The painstaking work requires patience and precision to preserve the ancient bones without damaging them.

Sunny's Take

Stephanie Hays, the Sedgwick County 4-H agent, says programs like the Geology Club exist to help kids explore their passions and "do amazing things." Corbin certainly delivered on that promise.

"I feel like it's very surreal to have had this happen," Hays said. "I'm very proud of Corbin for sticking through it and finding everything."

His mother Wendy shares that pride. "Who would've thought?" she said, recalling the moment her son made his prehistoric discovery.

The fossil reminds us that young people with curiosity and dedication can uncover wonders hiding in plain sight. Corbin's commitment to carefully excavating and cleaning his discovery shows the same patience and respect that professional paleontologists bring to their work.

This summer, Corbin will share the tylosaurus skull with his community at the Sedgwick County Fair in July, giving visitors a chance to come face to face with a creature that swam through Kansas 80 million years ago.