‘Whoa’: 12-year-old boy finds 80-million-year-old fossil during educational field trip

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - A Kansas boy found something historic during an educational field trip.

Corbin Bullard, 12, is already a geology fan, especially dinosaurs. He is also a part of the 4-H Geology Club in Sedgwick County.

“4-H is definitely meant to help kids find what they’re interested in and do amazing things,” Stephanie Hays, the Sedgwick County 4-H agent, said.

And it was on one of the 4-H trips in Jewell County where Corbin stumbled across something unexpected.

“He said, ‘Whoa.’ So, we looked down and found what I think was seven or eight large vertebrae,” Wendy Bullard, Corbin’s mother, recalled.

The vertebrae ended up being a part of a tylosaurus fossil from the Cretaceous period.

“Who would’ve thought?” Bullard said.

Corbin found the fossil back in September, and it took three trips to excavate the entire item. The tylosaurus is not a dinosaur but a mosasaur, and it swam in Kansas 80 million years ago.

“Pretty much all of the middle of America used to be underwater,” Corbin said.

The 12-year-old is currently cleaning the eight-piece fossil, which measures over 15 feet tall. It has taken some time. At least 30 hours, he said.

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

If you want to see the skull of the tylosaurus, Corbin will have it on display at the Sedgwick County Fair in July.