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Calgary junk remover makes dino-sized discovery

Just one of the dozens of boxes of fossils found by Mike Daryshire. Mike Daryshire / Submitted

There are many things that can be found when clearing out an estate, but dinosaur bones aren’t that common.

But that’s what Mike Darbyshire found in a southwest Calgary home: thousands of dinosaur bones and petrified wood pieces.

Darbyshire co-owns Calgary-based Just Junk, and says while he has found some head-turning items, this is definitely the most unique.

“There are a couple of other things, but that’s one of the top ones.”

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While cleaning the home, Darbyshire found several boxes of bones throughout the home and even more in a backyard shed.

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“We found one I thought it was a mammoth tooth but it was part of a horn,” said Darbyshire.

“There’s a lot of femur bones, different kinds of leg bones and spine bones.”

Although the bones can be sold for serious cash, Darbyshire decided to take them to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller after talking to the owners.

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Darbyshire hopes they will be useful additions to the archives.

“[The fossils] can add to the piece of the puzzle.”

When clearing out these properties, the items found are technically owned by Just Junk, but Darbyshire believes it’s the junk remover’s job to donate and recycle rather than making a profit.

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Now that these items have been handed over to the museum, staff will review them and determine whether or not they will be able to be displayed.

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