Boy digging for worms in his backyard discovers ancient fossil

Sid Singh Jhamat.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Express & Star)

Sid Singh Jhamat was hoping to dig up some worms in his backyard, but instead, he uncovered a fossil that is estimated to be between 251 million and 488 million years old.

Jhamat, 6, lives in Walsall, England, and he told PA Media he expected to dig up insects and maybe some pieces of pottery or brick. Jhamat was "really excited" when he came across what he thought was a rock shaped "a bit like a horn," and his dad, Vish Singh, quickly took a picture of the object and posted it to a Facebook group for fossil enthusiasts.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.