By Pat Melgares
K-State Extension
In the nearly four months since publicly revealing that he had uncovered a rare prehistoric fossil during a Kansas 4-H geology dig, 12-year-old Corbin Bullard’s life has been pretty busy.
The seventh grader at Clearwater Middle School has responded to a steady flow of interest from curious minds — reporters, classmates, museum visitors and more.
Bullard’s find has been reported in newspapers and television stations across Kansas, as well as national outlets like CNN, Fox News and People Magazine. News outlets from the United Kingdom, Indonesia, China and Mexico are among those that have reported on the find.
They all want to know one thing: How a simple 4-H field trip turned into the discovery of a marine reptile that lived in what is now northcentral Kansas during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 80-85 million years ago.
4-H geology dig turns into ancient fossil discovery
During a September 2025 field trip on private land in Jewell County, Bullard and other members of the Sedgwick County geology 4-H group found shark teeth, clams and a large fish fossil whose tail was stuck too far into the ground to be excavated.
Bullard had wandered from the group when he stumbled upon what looked like several vertebrae just barely visible in the ground.
“I knew it was big and that I found something really cool,” he said.
The find turned out to be the Tylosaurus, a marine reptile belonging to a group of giant swimming lizards called mosasaurs. It is also the state marine fossil of Kansas.
“During prehistoric times, North America was split by a sea, and so we often find sea creatures here in Kansas,” Bullard said.
Scientists believe Tylosaurus grew to as much as 45 feet, but the approximate length of the fossil that Bullard found measures 15 feet, partly because the reptile’s tail was never found.
Over the course of three more visits to the site and by working with adult leaders and other youth in the 4-H club, Bullard uncovered the fossil in eight sections, and the skull has now been carefully preserved in a 3-by-1-foot wooden box. The other sections will be preserved similarly in the future.
Corbin has named the fossil ‘Harry.’
“One of the unique things about this is that every time we pulled up a section, to our knowledge, it was always on a natural break,” said Corbin’s mom, Wendy. “We didn’t break anything that we know of; now, we may have left some things behind, but as far as the vertebrae, we had natural separations.”
The most prized section is the nearly three-foot-long skull, which Corbin recently had on display during an exhibit on dinosaurs at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas.
“Corbin has always been a shy, quiet kid, but he’s been forced into the limelight right now,” said Stephanie Hays, the 4-H Youth Development agent in Sedgwick County who has helped to marshal media requests for the Bullard family. “They’ve shown that dinosaur about 10 times this summer, and every time he had to get up and do a presentation. At our county fair, he stood for three or four days behind his dinosaur and talked to everybody who came in. It was great to see that.”
Bullard showcases rare fossil find through 4-H fairs, including Kansas State Fair
“It’s really crazy that I found this and now everybody wants to know about it,” said the soft-spoken Bullard, a member of the Ninnescah Valley 4-H Club who admits he’s “a little uncomfortable” with all the attention.
The project earned Bullard a purple ribbon for grand champion in the geology educational display division at the Sedgwick County Fair. Now, his entry will be among the more than 10,000 4-H projects competing at the Kansas State Fair, which takes place Sept. 11-20 in Hutchinson.
According to officials in the Kansas 4-H office, Bullard’s fossil can be found in the 4-H Centennial building, located on the north end of the state fairgrounds.
Tylosaurus fossil found on 4-H field trip sparks excitement for future paleontologists
This is Bullard’s third year in his county’s 4-H geology project. He said he had already developed an interest in becoming a paleontologist — a scientist who studies fossils — and the Tylosaurus discovery has only strengthened that interest.
“Truthfully, this find didn’t only spark Corbin’s interest, but also that of all of the other kids in our geology group,” Hays said. “In 4-H, I think it’s not just about finding the Tylosaurus, but it’s finding what you’re interested in and then sticking to it to create something special, even if you fail the first few times.”
Wendy Bullard said she’s not sure what the future holds for Harry the Tylosaurus, except that, because it was found on private land and the group had received permission to search for fossils, Harry belongs to Corbin.
“Corbin could, potentially, for the next three years keep this as a geology educational display,” she said. “He’s working on the ribs and vertebrae that were directly behind the skull, and we could have another box made to take to the State Fair again next year.
“He’s a very intelligent kid, but he’s also quiet. As a parent, I like that it really has helped bring qualities out of him that he’s able to share with others.”
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