Buzz
Paleontology often relies on chance, and an undergraduate at the University of California, Merced recently got lucky. As CBS News reports, Harrison Duran, a fifth-year biology student focused on ecology and evolutionary biology, was digging in the Badlands of North Dakota when he stumbled upon a partial triceratops skull, dating back 65 million years.
Duran ventured into the Badlands with Michael Kjelland, a biology professor at Mayville State University and "bone digger" expert, with the expectation of finding plant fossils during their two-week excavation. Among the wood and leaves, they uncovered an unexpected discovery: the remains of a Triceratops, one of the most legendary dinosaurs.
Duran, whose love for dinosaurs began long before his academic journey, was overjoyed by the find. “I can’t quite express my excitement in that moment when we uncovered the skull,” he shared with UC Merced. “I’ve been obsessed with dinosaurs since I was a kid, so it was a pretty big deal.”
The fossil was named Alice to honor the landowner where it was discovered. After a week of excavation, the partial skull was wrapped in foil and plaster, then transported by truck to Kjelland's lab. Kjelland pointed out that fossils like this are vulnerable to theft (with Triceratops skulls sometimes valued at a quarter-million dollars), but he hopes to eventually make Alice available for public viewing. His dream is to take the skull on a tour, although further analysis and preparation are needed before that can happen.
The Dakotas are renowned for their dinosaur fossils. Triceratops fossils, in particular, are common in the region—with South Dakota even designating the species as the official state fossil.
Michael Kjelland with the Triceratops skull, wrapped in foil and plaster. | Fossil Excavators
