A French man came across a 70-million-year-old fossil while walking his dog, but he and local archaeologists kept it a secret for two years for fear of vandalism.
The dinosaur skeleton is 70% intact X-capture PHOTO
Damien Boschetto, 25, made the discovery in Montouliers, near Hérault, France, about two years ago, according to Newsweek. Boschetto reported the discovery to the Cultural, Archaeological and Paleontological Association in the neighboring town of Cruzy, according to the source.
The group stated that it is an almost completely fossilized titanosaur skeleton, about 9 meters long, which is extremely rare. One study estimates that about 1.7 billion Tyrannosaurus rex lived 66 to 68 million years ago, but scientists have recovered fossilized remains from less than 100 of them.
Titanosaurus was a subgroup of sauropods, herbivorous animals with very long necks. These massive herbivores are among the largest known dinosaurs and lived 66 to 150 million years ago on every continent.
The researchers found that the titanosaur fossil discovered by Boschetto is about 70 percent complete.”While I was walking my dog, a landslide on the edge of the cliff exposed the bones of several skeletonsBoschetto said, according to the source.They were fallen bones, therefore isolated. I realized after a few days of digging that they were connected bones.“
Boschetto and researchers kept the discovery under wraps for two years to protect the site from vandals, according to Newsweek, cited by Business Insider. When researchers finish studying the bones, Boschetto's titanosaur will soon be on display at the Cruzy Museum, which also houses a titanosaur femur discovered in 2012.
Boschetto told The Washington Post that he is a paleontology enthusiast. Cruzy Museum Director Francis Fages said Boschetto's volunteer work at the museum over the past two years has been valuable to the paleontology department.
“These findings are scientifically interesting as they contribute to the understanding of species and ecosystems in the Late Cretaceous of France and EuropeBoschetto quit his energy job in September to pursue a master's degree in paleontology.
