Locals work on 52-million-year-old crocodile fossil

KEMMERER — Stepping into the gallery of In Stone Fossils is like traveling to a world where dinosaurs roamed the earth or, rather, a world about 10 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct, in what is known as the Eocene Period. During this time, some animals evolved into larger bodies and became more diverse, with creatures such as the crocodile, as we know them today.

One of these crocodiles, called borealosuchus, died almost 52 million years ago and remained undiscovered until a group of fossil collectors stumbled upon what looked to be a bump in the ground. Dean and Stacey Sherman, along with their business partners Garey and Lisa Lacey, own In Stone Fossils in Kemmerer. They found the paramount 13-foot crocodile fossil a few years ago. It’s a rare find that Stacey Sherman said will take about 3,000 hours of preparation.