SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kansas - Corbin Bullard, 12, has always been a fan of geology. He even aspires to become a paleontologist one day.
That's one reason he joined the local 4-H geology club in Sedgwick County, Kansas.
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"It's a whole community of people basically helping kids explore their interests," Wendy Bullard, Corbin's mother, said.
The club plans field trips to nearby areas, giving students opportunities to collect and identify rocks.
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On one trip to Jewell County, Corbin stumbled upon something unexpected — a vertebra from a Tylosaurus fossil, a large marine reptile and apex predator that lived roughly 85 million years ago.
"I wandered off, and I saw the vertebra sticking out of the ground," Corbin said.
"He just looked down, and he said, 'Whoa,'" Wendy said. "So we walked over and, sure enough, it was seven or eight large vertebrae. We didn't know what it belonged to, but we knew it wasn't modern."
The team began clearing away the vertebrae and soon discovered that the section they had uncovered was almost as big as Corbin.
After the discovery, Corbin and Wendy returned to the site three more times, making three-hour drives each way to continue excavating the fossil.
"Luckily, the rest of it was there," Wendy said. "We didn't get the whole thing. Some of the tail was already gone. But we started at the tail, and by the third trip, we found the skull."
The Tylosaurus fossil turned out to be more than 15 feet long.
Since finding the fossil, Corbin has been giving presentations around the area and is even sharing his findings at the county fair.
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Wendy credits the 4-H club for making the discovery possible.
"The whole reason any of this is possible is because of the 4-H club," Wendy said. "Corbin and I can't just go out on our own, know where to look and have permission to dig. It takes the club and its leaders to provide those opportunities."
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