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Dinosaur Discoveries in North America

Recent Discoveries in the United States

What special tool was used to uncover the oldest dinosaur eggshell ever found in New Mexico?

The special tool used to uncover a one-square-inch (6.5-square-centimeter), 150-million-year-old dinosaur eggshell was a toy backhoe. This “sophisticated paleontological device” was wielded by three-year-old David Shiffler of New Mexico. His family had stopped along the Rio Puerco after a camping trip. Seizing the opportunity, David began to dig in a sandy spot with his toy backhoe, uncovering a small object he declared was a dinosaur eggshell. David’s father later took the object to paleontologists, who confirmed that it was indeed a dinosaur eggshell from the Late Jurassic. This makes the dinosaur eggshell the oldest one found in New Mexico, and one of the oldest found anywhere. It also means that David is probably the youngest person ever to make a major paleontological discovery.



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