Strange Object
He couldn't believe his eyes as the sound of sirens filled his ears. Large crowds of people were gathering in farmer Juan De Dios Sota’s backyard. “What is that?” Someone shouted from the large crowed of onlookers as they pointed at the odd object in Juan's hand. An object he had found only 40 minutes earlier.
Juan was wiping the sweat from his forehead as he watched a police officer make his way through the crowed and towards Juan. The officer had a stern look on his face. Juan sighed. To think that it had started off as an ordinary day was strange.
Just Simple Sunday
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun was shining and it warm in Buenos Aries. Juan De Dios Sota decided to take his cows out for a walk in the field early that Sunday morning, as he always did. Once he was done reading the paper and gulping down his hot cup of coffee, Juan got up and approached his wife. He gave her a kiss as he greeted her and made his way outside.
Juan had no idea what he was going to uncover that ordinary Sunday morning.
An Odd Sound
Juan walked through the field and took a deep breathe of the fresh air. Argentina was suffering through a drought but Juan was grateful that his cattle were still doing better than ever.
He gave one of his cows a pat on the back and continued making his way through the large field. That's when one of the cows started making an odd sound that Juan had never heard before. He was startled.
Searching For Moisture
When thirsty, cows will do anything to get water. They will roam around for as long as they need, until they find something to quench their thirst. It had occurred before where cows' search for water could result into a stampede, but luckily, Juan's cows never acted that way.
He watched his cows roam the fields, completely unaware that they would help him make an extraordinary discovery.
Where Could She Be?
Juan was walking through the windy field, calling the name of one of his cows. Her name was Nessie and she was the eldest of the herds. Nessie had been missing for several minutes at this point.
Usually Nessie would come marching over to Juan whenever he called for her but this time, she didn't.
Something Strange
Eventually Juan found Nessie and a few other cows by the Vallimanca riverbeds. These riverbeds were usually wet but due to the drought, they were completely dry.
These riverbeds were at the very edge of Juan's property so he had to round all of his cows up and take them further into his property. But as he was rounding them up, something strange caught his eye and stopped him in his tracks. He couldn't stop himself from investigating it.
Never Seen Before
Juan had been living on his ranch for 15 years and he thought he knew every single nook and cranny of the place. He was aware that there was a secret little stream half a mile from there.
He knew of the hidden treehouse at the very back and even the creepy tunnel around the corner. He was certain that he knew it all, but he was mistaken.
Unexpected
When Juan started to lead his cows back into his land and away from the riverbed, he suddenly tripped over something and fell onto the dirty ground. He got up and quickly looked around him to see what he had tripped over.
He soon discovered an odd looking rock he head never seen before. He leaned down and looked closer at the ground. He then realized that it wasn't a rock. It was something else.
Calling 911
He looked even closer and realized that he was staring at the tip of a much larger object. The majority of the object was submerged under the ground. There was a strange pattern inscribed on the object.
He had never seen the pattern before and it made him feel uncertain. It seemed necessary to report what he had found, so he quickly called 911.
More Surprises To Uncover
As soon as he ended his call to 911, he quickly began to clear the surface of the object. As he got rid of the dirt, a shape began to form. The large object seemed to be round with a honeycomb-like pattern engraved into it. Juan was baffled by this.
He didn't think anything on his farm could surprise him like this, but here he was. Juan didn't know that as the authorities showed up, even more surprises would be uncovered.
Just As Confused
When the police arrived, they were just as surprised at the discovery. But none of them were trained enough to give out the correct information about fossils. “If this was an old munition, we might have been able to help.” Says one officer in a stern tone.
The group of officers and Jun stood around the strange object, confused about what to do next. But luckily for them, a group with all the information was only up the road.
Bringing In The Experts
The police decided to contact the local university, which pulled in the right people. They eventually brought in archaeologists and paleontologists from INCUAPA, Institute of Archaeological and Paleontological Research of the Pampean Quaternary.
As soon as the team arrived they knew they had no idea what was going to lie ahead.
He’s Seen This Before
One of the team members, Josh, walked up to the strange object and touched it. A feeling of anxiety crept upon him. For the rest of the team, they had never seen anything like this before and were bursting with excitement.
They were eager to start digging and finding out some answers. But for Josh, he remembers all too well the last time he saw something like this.
The Same Pattern
It was in late 2019 when a group of fishermen found a similar object at the bottom of a river in a different part of Argentina.
The object found had the same pattern as the one that Juan found; only this object was much smaller. But this small object was much more than just a broken-off fragment.
What Was It?
After hours of intense analyzing and investigating, Josh and his team were finally able to identify the three-feet long object found by the fishermen. Eventually, they all came to the same conclusion: it was an egg.
With that information in mind, when it came to Juan’s discovery on his land, Josh and his team concluded that his discovery wasn’t an egg. So what was it?
A Creature Called Glyptodons
“We think it’s a fossil of a specific kind of prehistoric creature called a Glyptodons,” Josh reveals to Juan in a serious yet friendly tone. Juan couldn’t believe it.
As if something like that was in his own backyard! “But what exactly is a glyptodon?” Asked Juan, curious to learn more about the history of the discovery in his garden.
The Size Of A Small Car
It turns out that a Glyptodon was a large creature that roamed South America thousands of years ago. Although they look similar to turtles and tortoises, they actually aren’t related.
They had large scaly shells for protection and large claws. Their size varies, with many the size of a small car! But Juan’s discovery had some unique details that intrigued the scientists even more.
Much More Surprises Lie Ahead
While the archaeologists and paleontologists began to dig at Juan’s property, eager to find out more, they noticed something else. Submerged in the ground, there was not only one glyptodon shell but four!
This discovery was an unusual find for the scientists as the four shells were different sizes, meaning they were probably a whole family! But this wasn’t the only thing that would leave Scientists speechless.
A Family Of 4
The four shells were all facing the same way, to the west, and after further investigation, it appeared they all died at the same time. Their position in the ground also led scientists to believe it was a family or hunting group.
After concluding their investigation, the team lets out a smile at one another. Now humans were going to be able to see this extraordinary find!
See It For Yourself
Since March 2020, the fossils have been extracted from Juan’s farm. After careful transportation, they are now sitting in a renowned paleontology room in Cine Avenida.
Once all the necessary data is extracted, visitors worldwide can come and see the Volkswagen Beetle sized fossil!
Glad It’s All Over With
For Juan, he was just happy he finally got the answers he needed. And it was from that moment on that every time he took his cows onto the field he made sure to look where he was going, staying cautiously aware not to trip again.
But then again, as Juan himself knows, you never know what you might uncover on a simple trip.
You Could Be Next
Wow, what a story! It’s pretty incredible to think that these huge mammals once roamed the earth.
It just goes to show, the earth is filled with all sorts of mysteries that are just waiting to be found. And who knows? Next time you take a simple scroll in your yard, you could find one too!