PALEONTOLOGIST MAKES RARE DISCOVERY OF 70-MILLION-YEAR-OLD FOSSIL
When Damien Boschetto, a hobby palaeontologist, went for a walk with his dog Muffin two years ago, he had no idea what was in store for him. Boschetto was shocked to discover a bone protruding from the ground when they arrived at the site of a recently collapsed cliff. However, this was no regular bone—rather, it was a dinosaur bone. In a recent interview, Boschetto—who resides in the French commune of Cruzy—did admit that he wasn't overly shocked. "It occurred on a typical morning while out for a stroll," he recalled. "There are many fossils of dinosaurs and other species coexisting in the Cruzy area."
Boschetto discovered a bone that belonged to a titanosaur that lived 70 million years ago. Among the largest terrestrial creatures during the Late Jurassic Period were these long-necked herbivores. Of the forty known species of titanosaurs, Boschetto's discovery of a bone sparked additional excavations that yielded a 70% complete skeleton.
This is noteworthy because, although many bones from titanosaurs have been discovered in Europe, anatomically connected specimens are uncommon. It suggests that the nearly 10-meter-long (32.8-foot-long) fossil was buried before the dinosaur's body started to deteriorate.
Boschetto helped with the excavation; he is a member of the Archaeological and Paleontological Cultural Association of the Cruzy Museum. They toiled diligently at the location for two years, discovering that it was a bone bed. This indicates that it held fossils of crocodiles, carnivores like Theropods, and another herbivore, the Rhabdodon, in addition to the titanosaur fossils.
Boschetto is thrilled with his discovery and hopes it will raise awareness of the museum and local attractions. For the general public to be able to admire a dinosaur in such anatomical connection is a flagship piece, he says.