ThE SuN HaS SeT On ThE QuArRy In WhIcH YoU WoRk You have only a headlamp to see what’s in front of you Using a small chisel you carefully chip away at rock Hours have passed and you haven’t found anything You take off your gloves and wipe sweat from your brow You are tired but you don’t take a break You have felt a sense of excitement all day You know a discovery is close You angle your chisel to the left A chunk of rock falls away and something catches your eye You softly sweep away dust and dirt with a special brush What did you find You keep chiseling slowly and carefully for days Finally the whole object is revealed It’s a skeleton The specimen is longer than your body It has large claws and a whole set of sharp teeth Do these fossils belong to a well-known animal Or have you just uncovered a previously unknown species 5
