7-year-old finds fossil at Colorado Springs dog park!

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Hundreds of millions of years ago, what would become the Pikes Peak region was part of a shallow sea.

And recently, a little boy found something left behind by the residents that once made the area home!

Leo and his mom Nathalie had taken their pup to Bear Creek Dog Park, just like they do every other week.

"It was a typical day," Nathalie Pace said.

Leo was looking around for rocks like he does every other week.

"I was thinking about finding gold and diamonds and stuff," he told 11 News.

He didn't find jewels - but he did find buried treasure! Though neither of them knew exactly what he had - until that night!

"He usually looks rocks and comes home with five to 10 of them, and I usually look through them," Nathalie said. "It was the same situation, where he came home, and I was like, 'This rock looks a little funny. It looks like a fossil!'"

"There were straight lines," Leo said, describing what was etched in the rock. "So it was like a fossil."

"I work in a school district, and there's a parent there who is a geologist, so I gave it to him to confirm."

And sure enough, her 7-year-old had found a fossil!

"He was really excited!" Nathalie told 11 News.

Leo said he discovered it along the banks of the creek that runs through the south side of the dog park.

"We had a dig a long time, and I found it! I was really proud of myself."

Leo and Nathalie are still trying to figure out what the creature immortalized in the fossil once was.

"I thought it looked like a fish ... he thought it was a bug or an isopod kind of creature," Nathalie said.

But what they do know: It was here for millions of years, waiting for a little boy to find it!

"I definitely didn't think my son would find a fossil at a dog park! But I think it was a really cool thing that he can tell his friends about. ... It shows us this all used to be underwater and to let your kids get dirty, because they might find something really cool!"

Would Leo rather have gold and diamonds or a fossil, we asked. He didn't hesitate.

"A cool fossil!" he said.