Most kids look for cool rocks on hikes — but 12-year-old Nathan Hrushkin stumbled on a dinosaur fossil that’s been buried for nearly 70 million years.
The Alberta boy and his dad never imagined their summer hike would make headlines, but one sharp-eyed glance at an unusual bone sticking out of the ground changed everything.
A Dream Come True for an Aspiring Paleontologist
Nathan has always been obsessed with dinosaurs. Finding a fossil? For him, it was more than just luck — it was a peek into the future he dreams about.
“For me it’s just amazing because I’ve been aspiring to be a paleontologist for as long as I can remember,” Nathan said, grinning ear to ear.
One line: Imagine spotting something millions of years old before you even hit your teens!
The Moment of Discovery: “Dad, Get Up Here!”
It all happened during a hike in Alberta’s Horseshoe Canyon, a spot well-known for its ancient secrets hidden beneath the dirt.
Nathan noticed something odd sticking out of the rocky hillside — a chunk of fossil so big and obvious that even a grown-up would do a double take.
“The first thing I said was, ‘Dad, you need to get up here,’” he recalled. His dad knew from Nathan’s voice that this wasn’t just another interesting rock.
One short sentence: Turns out, it was a piece of a young hadrosaur, a plant-eating dinosaur nicknamed the “duck-billed dinosaur.”
How Rare Was Nathan’s Find?
Finding a dinosaur bone in Alberta isn’t unheard of — the province is a goldmine for paleontologists — but for a kid to spot one while on a casual hike? That’s rare.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum, which confirmed the fossil’s identity, says the fossil was about 69 million years old. That places it toward the end of the Cretaceous period, when hadrosaurs roamed what is now Canada.
Here’s how it stacks up:
| Age of Fossil | 69 Million Years |
|---|---|
| Dinosaur Species | Young Hadrosaur |
| Nickname | Duck-Billed Dino |
| Discovered By | Nathan Hrushkin, 12 |
One glance at that table — you’d think Nathan was already a seasoned fossil hunter!
From Backyard Explorer to Local Hero
Nathan’s find didn’t just excite museum scientists — it’s also inspiring other kids in the area.
Locals say his discovery proves that big finds don’t always need big teams or fancy tools. Sometimes, it’s just a kid with curious eyes and a love for dinosaurs.
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Hike in the right place
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Keep your eyes open
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Tell an expert if you see something unusual
That’s Nathan’s “secret” to prehistoric treasure hunting.
What Happens to the Fossil Now?
The father-son duo did everything right. Instead of trying to dig up the fossil themselves, they snapped a photo and sent it straight to the experts at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
Paleontologists will carefully excavate the fossil, clean it up in the lab, and study it to learn more about hadrosaurs and their environment.
One short line: Nathan hopes he’ll get to help someday, too.
For now, he’s back at school — but probably daydreaming about the next ancient creature waiting to be found under Alberta’s soil.
