A Nebraska fisherman, Andy Moore, unintentionally discovered a 90-million-year-old fossil during a Missouri River fishing tournament.
Moore initially believed he had caught a recent animal skeleton after a challenging cast, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a fossil.
After posting photos online, he was informed of the fossil’s age and reached out to the Army Corps of Engineers, who shared the image with a geologist.
The fossil, identified as a 90-million-year-old bulldog fish (Xiphactinus audax), originated from the Western Interior Seaway that existed around 100 million years ago.
Bulldog fish were large with distinctive upward-opening jaws and jagged teeth. Some estimates suggest they could reach up to 20 feet in size.
The geologist confirmed the fossil’s age, and the discovery is expected to be displayed at the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center museum in Crofton, Nebraska.
The fossilization process involves being buried in sediment, leaving an imprint of the hard skeleton before decomposing, and bulldog fish fossils can be valuable, with some specimens selling for significant amounts at auctions.
