An Ichthyosaur Found at a Rest Stop

You never know when you might stumble across a prehistoric creature. Earlier this month Australian news services picked up the story of a "grey nomad," as retirees who travel the country extensively are known, who found fossils of an ichthyosaur when he stopped to use the toilet in northwest Queensland. Details about just how he found the fossils are unclear, but excavation of the site is set to begin soon. The skeleton of the aquatic reptile, which was not a dinosaur, will eventually go on display at the Kronosaurus Korner museum.

Riley Black | | READ MORE

Riley Black is the author of The Last Days of the Dinosaurs and many other books. She is a science correspondent for Smithsonian magazine covering fossils and natural history, and she writes about the prehistoric past for a variety of publications.