Connecticut Student Discovers 150-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Fossil in Montana

RED LODGE, Mont. — Aidan Connor, a senior at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, unearthed a 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossil during a paleontology excavation in Montana this summer, officials said. The discovery occurred on the first day of the dig in Red Lodge, where Connor was part of a team of teenagers from across the country participating in the project through the Elevation Science Institute.

Funded by the Rizzolo-Larson Venture Grant program, Connor found a pinkie-sized finger bone believed to belong to a small dinosaur from the Jurassic period. Extracting the fossil took about an hour, a relatively quick process, according to the student. He described the experience as “very nerve-wracking” but also “quite exciting.”

Following the initial find, Connor spent the remainder of the week “jacketing” other fossils, a method involving plastering specimens to protect them during transport. The excavation provided him with hands-on experience in careful fossil handling and preparation.

“A lot of field work, especially paleontology, is trying your hardest not to break very important things,” Connor said, reflecting on the meticulous nature of the work. He added that the experience was “very fulfilling for my inner child.”

Marc Arison, dean of academics at Cheshire Academy, expressed pride in Connor’s dedication and approach to learning. “Our pride in Aidan goes beyond the discovery he made,” Arison said. “What we’re most proud of is his polyglot love of learning, and his willingness to combine passion with patience, practice and process. Those are essential elements of learning.”

Connor is currently exploring college programs that offer majors in paleontology and museum studies as he prepares for graduation next spring.