Kids’ ‘Teen Rex’ find turned into film narrated by ‘Jurassic Park’ star

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

The "incredible" discovery of a young Tyrannosaurus skeleton - dubbed 'Teen Rex' - by three children has been made into a film narrated by Jurassic Park star Sam Neill.

The find - hailed as the "discovery of a lifetime" - could rewrite history by shedding new light on the early life and development of the king of the dinosaurs, say scientists.

The fossil was discovered in the 'badlands' of North Dakota in the United States by two young brothers, their dad and cousin, while on a family hike on July 31, 2022.

Only a handful of juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons have ever been found.

Brothers Liam and Jessin Fisher, seven and 10 at the time, and their nine-year-old cousin, Kaiden Madsen, spotted a large fossilized leg bone on a walk in the Hell Creek area.

Believing they had found a relatively common duckbill dinosaur, they sent a photo to family friend Dr. Tyler Lyson, associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Dr. Lyson organized an excavation that began 11 months later, adding the boys and their sister, Emalynn Fisher, now 14, to his team of paleontology volunteers and experts.

Brushing off a tooth soon after arriving, Dr. Lyson realized the boys had found a very rare juvenile T. rex.

The team unearthed it in 11 days after it had spent an estimated 67 million years in that spot.

Dr. Lyson says the young T. rex offers a rare glimpse into the early life of one of the most iconic dinosaurs, its development and the ecosystems in which it lived.

He said: "This discovery is particularly exciting because the majority of the Tyrannosaurus rex discoveries have been of adults.

"Having fossils of a younger animal to study will shed light on aspects of dinosaur life, such as growth patterns.

“In addition, by embracing their passions and the thrill of discovery, three young scientists made an incredible dinosaur discovery that advances science, deepens our understanding of the natural world, and inspires other explorers and future scientists.”

Following the meticulous excavation and extraction of 'Teen Rex' using a Black Hawk helicopter to lift the 5,000-pound block of fossils and protective plaster encasement, the Museum’s team is now starting the process of cleaning the skeleton and readying the fossils for scientific study.

The Black Hawk airlifted the skeleton onto a truck.

Giant plaster jackets containing Teen Rex are now at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where the public will be able to follow the fossil’s preparation.

A crew from Giant Screen Films (GSF) was embedded with the Museum's team and had 8K cameras rolling as the fossil’s features were unearthed, including the "eureka moment" when Dr. Lyson confirmed that the children had found a T. rex.

The story of the discovery and excavation can now be watched through an immersive new giant screen documentary, T. REX, narrated by New Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill, who portrayed Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films.

Dr. Lyson, who found his first dinosaur in the same area as a six-year-old, said: "Juvenile rex specimens are extremely rare.

“This find is significant to researchers because the ‘Teen Rex’ specimen may help answer questions about how the king of dinosaurs grew up."

He said the size of the specimen’s tibia (82 cms or 32 inches), compared to the size of a full-grown adult’s tibia (112 cm, 44 ins) suggests that it was 13- to 15 years old when it died around 67 million years ago.

Paleontologists estimate that “Teen Rex” likely weighed around 3,500 lbs (1,632 kilos), measured about 25 feet (7.6 meters) from nose to tail, and stood about 10 feet (three meters) tall - about two-thirds the size of a full-grown adult.

T. rex expert Dr. Thomas Holtz, of the University of Maryland, said: “It’s remarkable to consider how T. rex might have grown from a kitten-sized hatchling into the 40-foot, 8,000-pound adult predator we are familiar with.

"Scientists can really only speculate on how ‘Teen rex’ might have lived and behaved, so discoveries like this one have the potential to provide important new information about those earlier life stages when fastest growth likely occurred.”

The experience was especially exciting for Jessin, an aspiring palaeontologist who once dressed up as his hero, Dr. Lyson for Halloween.

Dr. Lyson said: "Helping these kids experience the thrill of their discovery and to be inspired by science is incredibly rewarding to me personally."

The boys are keen to visit the “Teen Rex Prep Lab” when it opens and the film debuts in Denver on June 21.

Andy Wood, who wrote and produced the film, said: “We never could have planned the inspiring story that unfolded in front of the cameras.

“Kids finding any large dinosaur is remarkable, but as the shoot progressed, the team realised that we were witnessing something even more rare - a truly historic T. rex discovery. It’s been a real thrill.”

Co-director David Clark said: "This is more than just a documentary - it's a chance for families to experience the thrill of discovery through the eyes of these young explorers in a format that makes you feel like you’re right there with them.

“This is the kind of story that documentary filmmakers dream of capturing.”

Dr. Lyson added: “Beyond fostering an appreciation of the fun of science, the film sends a message about getting outside and exploring.

“That’s a really important message that we want to come through—one that I think is just baked into this story.”

T. REX is scheduled to premiere at select theatres worldwide beginning on June 21.

GSF has also partnered with Rextooth Studios to create a graphic novel to accompany the film.