The Dinosaur Tree in the Hidden Canyon
In 1994, a ranger exploring a remote canyon near Sydney found a stand of trees known only from fossils older than the dinosaurs' extinction.
What was reported
In September 1994, David Noble, a national parks officer, was abseiling into a gorge in the Wollemi wilderness, about 150 kilometres from Sydney, when he noticed trees with strange, bubbly bark and fern-like leaves he didn't recognise.
Botanists found they were a new genus, the Wollemi pine, related to trees that grew 90 million years ago. Fewer than a hundred grow wild, all in a few hidden canyons.
Explanations offered
Its location is kept secret to protect it from disease and collectors. In 2019–20, firefighters saved the grove during huge bushfires. Seedlings have been sold around the world to help the species survive.
- When
- Found in 1994
- Where
- Wollemi National Park, New South Wales, Australia
- Witnesses
- A park ranger on a hike
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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