Exciting Fossil Find in Utah!

SALT LAKE CITY — In a stunning turn of events, Hank Woolley accidentally unearthed a hidden treasure at the Natural History Museum of Utah, finding a jar simply labeled "lizard."

Inside the jar lay a 76-million-year-old fossil retrieved from the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument back in 2005. This enigmatic relic made its journey to the museum in Salt Lake City, where it had remained obscured for years, tucked away and waiting to be discovered.

A Deep Dive into Prehistoric Insights!

Woolley, a dedicated postdoctoral research fellow at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s Dinosaur Institute, took a closer look at the preserved bones, sparking his curiosity. "Large-bodied lizards from the Kaiparowits Formation remain mostly uncharted territory, so I knew this was a remarkable find," he shared.

His discoveries have opened a window to what Utah’s ecosystem teemed with 76 million years ago, enhancing the understanding of ancient wildlife.

Meet Bolg: The New Star of Paleontology!

Leading a groundbreaking study, Woolley and his team have identified a fascinating new species that could be a direct ancestor of today’s Gila monsters seen throughout the Southwest. The findings, which represent a scientific milestone, were published in the Royal Society Open Science journal.

Randy Irmis, co-author and curator of paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, expressed excitement over the implications of this discovery: "Not only does it unveil a new lizard species, but it also enriches our understanding of the vibrant ecosystem of the Late Cretaceous Era."

A Teeny Titan of Its Time!

This newly classified species, whimsically named Bolg amondol or simply "Bolg," was about the size of a raccoon—a small but significant dinosaur in its era when southern Utah was a lush subtropical floodplain. The name pays homage to a goblin prince from J.R.R. Tolkien’s 'The Hobbit,' reflecting the lizard’s goblin-like skull.

Irmis pointed out, "Bolg coexisted alongside various large lizard species, suggesting a dynamic and robust ecosystem where these creatures thrived on diverse prey and unique habitats."

A Leap Forward in Lizard Evolution!

The unveiling of Bolg could have profound implications for the study of lizard evolution, especially as it connects modern species like the Gila monster with their prehistoric predecessors. Irmis recently co-authored another exciting study exploring the survival strategies of ancient crocodilians, shedding light on their coexistence with Bolg.

Furthermore, researchers suspect that many more undiscovered species existed during the Late Cretaceous Period, making Bolg's discovery a promising clue for future explorations in Utah’s public lands—or perhaps waiting patiently in jars like Bolg once did.