Eight-year-old Kara Nenneau recently made a pretty incredible discovery while digging through a rock pile.

The Williamson Elementary student, along with her grandfather Tim Belknap, uncovered a piece of the past that has been patiently waiting for her for millions of years.

Wanting to find out exactly what they had unearthed, the duo took to the web to search out answers. Belknap shared photos, eventually connecting with a professional who gave them some answers.

“We sent some photos to the national Paleontological Society and they said the fossil might be cephalopods or crinoid stems, marine creatures related respectively to squid and starfish. .”

While their find may not be heading to the Smithsonian any time soon, the amateur geologists are thankful for the artifact and have only just begun their archeological explorations.

“We’ve only just started this hobby and are trying to get up to speed on geology and fossils,” Belknap admits, but says the two will continue to “make little trips to rock piles and beaches in the Williamson/Sodus area.”

Belknap says Paleontological Society experts will help identify fossils at:   paleosoc.org/ask-a-paleontologist-question-and-answer/ask-a-paleontologist/