In an extraordinary turn of events, a 5-year-old boy from Linyi, in East China’s Shandong Province, made a significant paleontological discovery while hiking on a local mountain. The child, engaged in a simple outdoor activity, stumbled upon ancient fossils dating back more than 500 million years, a discovery that has captivated the scientific community.
This remarkable find was brought to light through a video posted on the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, which showed the young boy displaying stones with intricate patterns, hidden within rock layers. The video, swiftly garnering attention, depicted what appeared to be a fossil nest discovered on a small mountain. When a rock slab was lifted, it revealed trilobite fossils, an ancient biological species.
Guo Ying, a professor at Linyi University’s Institute of Geology and Paleobiology, confirmed the authenticity of the findings. The professor noted that the fossils belonged to the Cambrian period, thus dating them back over 500 million years. He explained that the fragments visible in the fossils were of trilobites, arthropods known for their segmented bodies. Intriguingly, these fossils are often referred to as “swallow stones” due to their resemblance to swallows.
The professor also highlighted that similar fossils have previously been discovered in various areas around Linyi, including Laiwu, Jinan, Weifang, and Rizhao, indicating the region’s rich paleontological history.
The video was filmed by the child’s father, Yang, an outdoor enthusiast living in Linyi. Yang recalled the discovery, which happened on a Sunday afternoon during a hike near Langong Temple with his son. Noticing a significant shale formation on the mountain, Yang, leveraging his experience in outdoor activities, speculated about the presence of fossils. “I told my son that this place might have fossils, and we should take a look, try our luck, and see if we can find something valuable,” Yang recounted. Within minutes of searching, his son excitedly found the fossils.
This incident is part of a growing trend where children, often inadvertently, discover significant ancient fossils. In September, another young boy, aged 10, found dinosaur footprints on a stone riverbed in Luzhou, Sichuan Province. Experts from the China University of Geosciences Beijing, Zigong Dinosaur Museum, and Zhejiang Pangu Fossil Museum later confirmed these as footprints of an adult and baby Dromaeosaurus and a unique sauropod dinosaur. This combination of footprints, preserved on red sandstone and ranging from 10 to 40 centimeters in size, is considered rare globally.
Similarly, in 2020, a 5-year-old boy in Sichuan Province accidentally found what he believed to be dinosaur footprints on a mountain. Fascinated by dinosaurs, he was quick to identify the imprints as traces of prehistoric creatures, a conclusion later validated by experts.
These discoveries by young explorers not only underscore the vast and untapped paleontological wealth of China’s diverse landscapes but also highlight the importance of nurturing curiosity and exploration in children. Such finds contribute significantly to our understanding of the ancient world and continue to inspire both the scientific community and the public.
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