Frenchman Finds 70-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur in the Woods

Man Walking His Dog Finds 70-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Skeleton in the Woods

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The woods are historically the site of fairy tales and fantasy, relaxation and beauty. From hiking to photography, endless hobbies can be indulged in among the trees. For a young Frenchman in 2022, it was his daily walks with his dog that took him into the local woods in Montouliers in southern France. Damien Boschetto, now 25, and his dog Muffin stumbled upon a dinosaur skeleton in a rock slab which had been recently exposed by a landslide. The almost perfectly intact titanosaur skeleton dates back 70 million years, and it is an exciting find that has only recently been made public.

Boschetto has kept the discovery secret for the past two years to allow researchers to excavate the site safely and in peace. The amateur paleontology enthusiast collaborated on the dig with the Archaeological and Paleontological Cultural Association (ACAP) at the local Cruzy Museum. He told France Bleu, “They were fallen bones, therefore isolated. We realized after a few days of excavations that they were connected bones.” The sandstone made for a difficult excavation but the team (and Muffin) did their best. Their hard work revealed an incredibly intact 70-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton of a titanosaur, a type of massive herbivore with a long neck.

Dating to the Cretaceous period, the skeleton's anatomical completeness and arrangement made it an exceptional find. The skeleton, tidied up, will be on view at the Cruzy Museum. As for Boschetto, the discovery seems to have changed his life path. Formerly in the energy industry, the Frenchman has decided to return to school to pursue a master's degree in paleontology. He may have a hard time discovering anything bigger than this massive 30-foot-long fossil for a while, but one can only imagine his talent for fossil finding and the loyal help of Muffin will reveal hidden wonders in the local woods.