Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Fossil Found

Paleontologist unearths a 6 million year old tortoise shell

Just past mile marker eighteen on the bypass Shane Tucker, Highway Salvage Paleontologist with the University of Nebraska State Museum Lincoln, has unearthed a six to eight million-year-old tortoise shell.

Tucker's job is an interesting one, as the Nebraska Roads Department builds new roads he follows along and looks for possible fossils in the earth. Once a fossil is found, depending on the size and whether or not it is collectable, Tucker will dig it up and have it taken to the Nebraska State Museum.

Over the years working with the roads Department, Tucker has found some very interesting fos...