Kansas boy discovers 15-foot marine reptile fossil from 85 million years ago during geology field trip
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During a geology club field trip, a young Kansas boy’s quest for fossils led to an extraordinary find: the remains of a 15-foot marine reptile that once navigated an ancient sea 85 million years ago.

Corbin Bullard, just 11 years old, made the discovery when he noticed several large vertebrae emerging from rock formations at a quarry near Clearwater, Kansas. This occurred on a September 2025 outing with the Sedgwick County 4-H Geology Club.

“I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was something significant,” Bullard shared with FOX Local.

Through three more excavation trips, Bullard and his fellow club members meticulously unearthed nearly the full skeleton of a tylosaurus, a colossal marine reptile that dominated the oceans during the Cretaceous Period.

Corbin Bullard’s remarkable fossil find took place at a quarry in Clearwater, Kansas, back in September 2025. (Photo credit: Wendy Bullard)

The unearthed fossil was over 15 feet long, encompassing everything from the creature’s massive skull to most of its skeletal structure.

Corbin and his geology club uncovered a fossil of nearly an entire tylosaurus, a massive marine reptile from the Cretaceous Period. (Wendy Bullard)

The ancient predator lived roughly 82 million to 87 million years ago, according to researchers who dated the specimen to the Smoky Hill Chalk formation, a fossil-rich layer of rock that stretches across parts of Kansas.

tylosaurus fossil in the ground

In this photo, part of the tylosaurus fossil is seen. (Wendy Bullard)

The discovery emerged from a quarry where commercial crews routinely shave away layers of rock, exposing relics hidden for millions of years. Before Bullard’s find, club members had mostly uncovered shark teeth and fish fossils.

Now 12 and preparing to enter seventh grade, Bullard plans to display the fossil’s skull at the Sedgwick County Fair in July.

“I hope [the judges] say that it looks really nice and that we put a lot of effort into it,” he said.

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