An amateur fossil hunter in western Canada found what she first thought was a “deer hoof” along a northern Albertan river.
The remains were actually a reptilian fossil dating back to over 60 million years ago.
That paleolith enthusiast, Melissa LaBounty, 33, loves spending her free time digging up clam shells and fossilized plants along the Athabasca River near her home in Blue Ridge.
Eons ago, the area was submerged underwater — hence the seashells — but it later emerged and became a migration route for dinosaurs.
On July 5, LaBounty and her kids were fossil hunting by the river. The water was high but the banks were awash with new rocks and ripe for the picking….