When the scientists cleared away more mud and tried to dig out the large egg-shaped object from the riverbed, they finally understood how big and heavy it actually was. A team of excavators could barely move the shell because it was made of an immensely hard material and weighed almost two tons!
The experts spent a lot of time wading around in sticky, muddy water in order to painstakingly dig out the giant object. Eventually, they were able to extract it and gently load it up to be transferred to their lab, where more studies and tests would reveal the amazing truth.
Sniffing Around
The curious canine bypassed all of the onlookers and made its way into the riverbed. It walked right up to the large and mysterious object and began to study it. The dog began sniffing around and barking, which led the people all around to the realization that they were not dealing with a run-of-the-mill rock.
There was a lot of speculation amongst Carlos Spegazzini locals about the nature of the scaly surprise, but there was no one at the scene who, once looking upon the mysterious discovery, came up with a rational explanation. The police then decided that something more had to be done.
The Experts Arrive
The authorities came to the conclusion that the time had come to bring in some relevant experts and called in two local archaeologists to help explain this extraordinary find. The archaeologists were more than happy to get the chance to poke around this unusual discovery.
At first glance, the pair could not decisively conclude what it was that they were seeing, but they did agree to speculate that the object was a relic from ancient times. To make any further deductions, they would have to remove it and take it to their lab for further study, but when they got ready to move it, they discovered yet another surprise.
Lab Work
The artifact was studied extensively. Many tests were run, and samples of the shell-like material were examined under a microscope. The scientists learned a lot more about the object than what could merely be seen by the human eye, and the more they learned, the more excited they were.
They came to the conclusion that what Jose found was not a dinosaur egg or something from outer space. Nevertheless, the actual results were just as amazing to both the people of Carlos Spegazzini and to the rest of the world.
A Surprising Revelation
The scientists astounded everyone when they revealed that the 2-ton discovery had a rational explanation after all. According to them, the enormous object was actually the ancient fossil of a prehistoric beast that had been exceptionally well preserved.
All the experts agreed that the giant fossil, which was an astounding 10,000 years old, belonged to the armored, turtle-like shell of a long-extinct prehistoric creature called a glyptodon. It was great to finally have an answer, but that raised a new question. How did the fossilized glyptodon shell find its way to Jose and Reina’s farm?