Big Sky Fossils

07/18/2025

I’ve dug up a lot of dinosaur fossils over the last 11 years, but never a skull. So what better place to start than with an 8ft-long, Torosaurus noggin!

Clayton Phipps’ brother, Jason, found this amazing Torosaurus skull last month in the Hell Creek formation of Montana, and was in the process of digging it out when we came to visit. Over the course of several days, I got to help Clayton and his family excavate, plaster and partially prepare this incredible specimen; which included a beautifully preserved braincase!

Excavating a 3,000lb, 8ft long, jacketed skull out of the ground and transporting it with a skid steer is a major operation, but and handled it smoothly and safely. These guys truly have the process down to a science, and it was very impressive to watch them work together. Super grateful I got to be a part of the effort! 🙂

07/05/2025

Happy 4th of July from Fort Peck Reservoir!! 🇺🇸
Thank you for taking us out! Hope everyone had a great day!

06/28/2025

Last summer’s excavation of Goliath, potentially the largest T.rex femur ever found!

06/22/2025

I took a break from fossils for a trip to Costa Rica with !! We spent several days exploring the Monteverde Cloud Forest reserve, and I was in seventh heaven! The rainforest was teeming with life and everything was thriving. I was a bit worried about jaguars, but turns out I should’ve been more concerned about vipers. We saw three!

We also spent a few days exploring the coast, and took a boat tour to see some American crocodiles! We saw two 18-footers: one of which was 90 YEARS OLD! 🐊

The tour has been operating for over 40 years, so the crocs were extremely comfortable around the boat. (Our guide took the first video. Definitely not me. 😂) The croc in the video is the alpha of the river, and had the scars to prove it. Truly an unreal experience.

Without a doubt, Costa Rica, is an unbelievably amazing place and the people are just as great. We will most definitely be back!

05/28/2025

From heart-breaker to heart-stopper! 🙂 Check out the second photo to see what this 4” T.rex tooth originally looked like!

This tooth was found by a rancher on his property where it had weathered out of a hillside and crumbled into many pieces. I was not expecting it to be this big or beautiful. The enamel is naturally glossy and has no finish applied to it.

Ironically, I’ve never been a huge fan of puzzles, but when they turn into T.rex teeth it’s a different story! 🦖

05/20/2025

Proof that I’m not just a dentist for dinosaurs! 🙃

This Hoplophoneus skull reconstruction has been a very fun process so far. More photos once it’s done!

04/27/2025

Check out this stunning fossilized palm inflorescence from the Green River Formation in Wyoming!

If you’re asking yourself, “What the heck is inflorescence?”, then you’re in good company. I just learned today! 😂

Palm inflorescences are basically the flowering branches of a palm tree. Instead of a single flower, they’re packed with hundreds of tiny blooms (see the second photo for a modern example). This particular inflorescence had lost its blooms by the time it was buried in sediment, so what you’re seeing is the incredibly detailed ‘skeleton’ of the original structure.

This exceptional fossil is currently on display by Lindgren Fossils at the Mineral and Fossil Show in Conroe, Texas until tomorrow evening. Check it out while you can!

04/17/2025

I am more than a little obsessed with this stunning T.rex tooth. The tiger-striping and patterns of color look especially striking in the sun!

The unique patterns you see on a T. rex tooth come from a mix of tiny differences in the tooth’s original makeup, small cracks that formed during fossilization, and different minerals from the surrounding dirt soaking in over millions of years. No two are exactly alike; which is part of what makes them so much fun to find!

04/14/2025

This was my first time doing a podcast, and I had a blast! Thanks Panoramic Outdoors for having me on your show to talk fossils!

Shelly talks all about dinosaurs on this episode and it Is pretty great! Check it out here ⬇️⬇️

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/panoramic-outdoors/id1378791160?i=1000703463706

04/04/2025

Spent the day outside restoring the missing tips of these beauties – a Tyrannosaur foot claw, a T.rex tooth and a Struthiomimus foot claw. With or without the restored ends, they are exceptional fossils with amazing preservation!

Tomorrow I’ll be shifting my focus to the big stuff (literally)! 🦕

03/16/2025

I recently had the privilege to work on this gorgeous Tyrannosaurus rex foot claw, and boy did it test my color-matching skills. In the end though, I think the red coloration (iron-oxide staining) makes the claw really striking!

A young boy found this claw sitting on top of a hill while taking family photos on their ranch in eastern Montana. They kept it safe on their mantle for a number of years until finally showing it to . Needless to say, he knew exactly what it was! 🦖

03/10/2025

Saw some incredible fossils in Tucson last month, but as always it’s the people who made the trip!! 🦖