Man who found 70 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton in forest reveals why he kept it a secret for 2 years

Discovering new things during your usual walk can be fun. But can you imagine discovering an entire dinosaur skeleton? This is exactly what happened with a man named Damien Boschetto, who discovered a giant 70 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton while walking his dog. Now, some of us might jump with joy and tell this news to everyone as soon as we discover it. But Boschetto hid this from everyone else for 2 years. Interestingly, he found not just one or two bones, but an entire dinosaur skeleton, per PEOPLE. 

The 25-year-old amateur paleontologist shared that he found the skeleton through pure dumb luck. He was walking his dog Muffin in the forests of Montouliers near his house in Cruzy, a village in the South of France, reported ABC News. "It happened one morning like any other, during an ordinary walk," Boschetto told France Bleu. "While walking the dog, a landslide on the edge of the cliff exposed the bones of various skeletons." He needed time to clean and uncover the skeleton so he kept his discovery a secret for nearly two years after finding the skeleton in May 2022, fearing onlookers and pillagers might cause disturbance in the process. Now, the skeleton is finally open to viewing in the Cruzy museum. The best part about the discovery is that the skeleton was nearly intact. 70 percent of the bones from the skull to the tail were connected. 

The man and the members of the Archaeological and Paleontological Cultural Association (ACAP) at the Cruzy Museum worked together to dig out and clean the skeleton for two years. The skeleton belongs to a type of plant-eating dinosaur called titanosaur. This species of dinosaur has a very long neck and lived in the Cretaceous period as per the outlet. The Cretaceous period lasted from about 145 million to 66 million years ago and was the third and final period of the Mesozoic era. 

“These discoveries are interesting from a scientific point of view because they contribute to the understanding of the species and ecosystems of the late Cretaceous of France and Europe," the museum director told the Washington Post. Boschetto has left his energy sector job since the discovery and is looking to get into a master's program in paleontology. The 25-year-old shared with CNN that finding an intact dinosaur fossil is always interesting from a scientific and research perspective. So, the next time you are out in nature, be on the lookout, you might make the next big discovery!  

This article originally appeared 6 months ago.