Paleontologist shares fossils with community, campus

Salvage paleontologist for the Nebraska highways Shane Tucker gave two presentations last Thursday about his job of finding and saving fossils during road constructions throughout the state.

The Natural Sciences club invited Tucker to speak with the Chadron public school’s after school program, and then a presentation to the campus and community.

For the after school program, Tucker displayed and passed around fossils found in the panhandle of Nebraska during highway constructions.

Out of all the fossils found in Nebraska, only two dinosaur fossils have ever been found. Tucker travels the state whenever construction occurs and follows the machines. If his crew finds fossils, construction in that specific area of the site stops until they have cleared all fossils. Then, construction in that area can continue.

Fossils such as saber-toothed deer, giant land tortoises, baby and adult mammoth teeth, rhinos, and many more have been found throughout Nebraska.

During the open presentation, Tucker shared what led him to become a paleontologist. Since he was little, his father would take him fishing and he would look for clamshells and find fossils. Once the asphalt fossil beds opened, he would visit and watch workers. After he was in college, he worked at the fossil beds and continued from there.

Tucker said he believes he is one of two highway paleontologists in America. The other is in Colorado.

After each of his presentations, Tucker allowed the audience to look at the fossils displayed on the front table.