NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. – Two curious kids have unearthed a fossil dating back to 450 million years, when life was mostly under water.
Earlier this month, siblings Bailey Pearson, 16, and Oden Singh, 8, set out on an exploration of a neighbourhood rock pile.
The mission was simple: find fossils.
And in a matter of minutes, they struck gold.
“It was pretty crazy,” Oden said.
The pair discovered a fossilized section of a large, shelled sea creature, similar to a giant squid, known as a nautiloid.
It lived about 450 million years ago when Western Canada was covered by a shallow sea.
“It is crazy to think that they are so old and to understand that these were creatures that used to live way before us,” Bailey said.
The fortuitous find came moments after their mother Amanda Singh showed them photos of fossils that she thought may be within the rock pile.
“I specifically said they could look for this cone-shaped animal,” Amanda said.
She initially thought the oldest fossils they would find would date back 75 million years.
But the markings preserved in the Tyndall limestone are distinct, which helped experts at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) identify the fossil.
Ryan McKellar, curator of palaeontology at the RSM, said the specimens are a great snapshot of what existed during the Ordovician period.
“The more examples we have of some of these groups, the better our understanding of the groups becomes,” he said.
McKellar said big nautiloids like the one found in North Battleford are a little more rare than other fossils.
“It is exciting that kids are getting excited about science,” he said.
“It is also exciting for us because sometimes they find really cool stuff.”
The North Battleford family collects rocks almost everywhere they go.
The siblings spend hours at a time at the nearby rock pile – an apparent hotbed for fossils. They have found several others there besides the nautiloid.
“When I am walking, I am always looking at the ground,” Bailey said.
“Usually what I look for are certain structures and certain shapes.”
The siblings’ fascination with fossils comes from their mother, who has been collecting rocks since childhood.
Amanda said she loves watching her children get as excited about the hobby as she does.
“I think it is amazing at how they spot fossils. They are really good at it,” she said.
Her children are neurodivergent, which makes it easier for them to recognize patterns, she explained.
It is a gift that helps grow the family’s collection.
They have found ammonite, giant snail and coral fossils, along with arrowheads and hundreds of crystals.
Each one is unique.
“They have a lot of stories to them,” Oden said.
“And they are just cool to look at.”
The children plan to keep their most recent find and continue to grow their collection.
Right now, it is just a hobby. But one day, Bailey said it could become a profession.
“This is kind of like a start of career,” she said.
