Near a riverbank in central Illinois, amateur paleontologists swing picks and shovels as they sift through the fossilized remains of a vanished world some 309 million years old.

Grundy County

Maison Creek, located about an hour from Chicago, is recognized as one of the world's most accessible and fossil-rich sites. Both amateur and professional paleontologists frequent the area, uncovering well-preserved fossils from a lush, tropical swamp that existed over 300 million years ago. The site is notable for its abundance of ancient plants, insects, jellyfish, and squid-like cephalopods, rather than the more famous dinosaurs.

Among the most sought-after discoveries is the Tullimonstrum, or Tully Monster, an enigmatic extinct marine creature unique to the site. The accessibility of Maison Creek has made it a popular destination for fossil enthusiasts, offering a rare opportunity to explore prehistoric life in central Illinois.

Prehistoric paradise hiding just outside Chicago

Dr. Arjun Mann is a paleontologist and assistant curator at the Field Museum in Chicago. And on a nice day in June, he says he only needs to drive an hour out of the city to reach one of the most fossil-rich sites found on earth. Maison Creek represents one of the most accessible and fossil-abundant localities in the world, where you can easily find plants, animals, insects as an amateur coming out here. So it's a good way to get involved in natural history, but more than that, the fossils preserved here are exceptional. Maison Creek offers a glimpse back through 309 million years, when Illinois was a lush tropical coastal swamp teeming with ancient life. Before you get too excited, there are no Tyrannosaurs or Velociraptors here. Instead, Maison Creek holds a dazzling array of ancient plants, insects, jellyfish and squid-like cephalopods. Basically, this could have a number of animals in it, shrimp, it could have like jellyfish. This is like, this is what you come here for, you know? A lot of what the folks here uncover is this. It looks like a piece of wood and some type of fern. The site's accessibility means it, in a way, collects the collectors. My name's Rich Holm. I've been collecting Maison Creek fossils for the last 20 years. Part of the fun of doing the collecting is it's a bit of a treasure hunt. If there's a holy grail here, it might be an enigmatic creature known as the Tullimonstrum, or Tully Monster. No discussion about Maison Creek fossils is really complete without talking about the Tully Monster. This is a partial one, unfortunately. It's an extinct marine creature, soft-bodied like a squid, with a long, protruding mouth-like appendage. The largest specimens ever found here were about 14 inches in length. Maison Creek may not be famous yet, but to those who know it, it's a prehistoric paradise hiding in plain sight.

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Washington

Ukraine Invasion

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Jerusalem

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Tehran

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Breakdown