Monthly Archives: November 2013

Dueling Dinosaur Fossils Not Sold to Private Collectors

Image

Reply

Dueling Dinosaur Fossils Not Sold to Private Collectors

(Image: Black Hills Institute of Geological Research Inc and Katie Busch/CK Preparations)

Two Late Cretaceous dinosaurs—a tryannosaurid and a triceratops relative—that died while locked in mortal combat were fossilized together in the same piece of Badlands rock. And recently they were put up for auction to private collectors by Bonham’s Auction House. Dubbed perhaps the most complete skeletons ever found in North America, the two fossils were expected to sell for between 7 and 9 million dollars—but the bids topped out at $5.5 million.

That turns out to be great news because rather than going into private hands and perhaps never being seen again, the fossils will now be offered for sale to “scientific homes.”

Learn more here:
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/no-sale-for-montanas-dinosaur-duo-and-why-thats-a-good-thing

Real-Life Time Eaters Stripping the Fossil Record

Image

Reply

Real-Life Time Eaters Stripping the Fossil Record

In recent years bandits on motorcycles have been descending on dig sites in Asia to steal ancient and important finds while paleontologists sleep. The dinosaur fossils are hastily removed and carried off into the night.

Through an underground network of fences and middlemen the fossils are smuggled out of the country and sold to private collectors.

The cost to science and our understanding of prehistory is incalculable.

Check out this great look at the burgeoning Jurassic crime spree:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/dinosaurs/10411253/The-trade-in-stolen-dinosaur-fossils.html

Nicholas Cage’s Tarbosaurus Skull Came from Convicted Fossil Thief

Image

Reply

Nicholas Cage’s Tarbosaurus Skull Came from Convicted Fossil Thief

Cage outbid Leonardo DiCaprio for the 67-million-year-old T. Bataar skull at auction in 2007. But it now seems the biggest prehistoric skull ever found was provided by Eric Prokopi—a real life Time Eater.

Prokopi is currently facing 17 years in jail for stealing fossils from the rich beds of China and Mongolia, and selling them to private collectors—removing them from the light of science forever.

It doesn’t seem Cage or DiCaprio knew where the skull came from at the time—but the practice of collecting these great finds is in itself preventing paleontologists from properly examining finds and hurting our understanding of the great beasts.

More info here:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2013/10/29/nicolas_cage_stolen_dinosaur_skull_hollywood_stars_should_stop_collecting.html

Newly Discovered T. Rex Relative Dubbed — ‘King of Gore’

Image

Reply

Newly Discovered T. Rex Relative Dubbed -- ‘King of Gore’

Paleontologists in Utah have discovered a previously unknown relative of T. Rex that is 10 million years older than scientists thought possible. The 24-ft-tall predator known as Lythronax argestes—or ‘King of Gore’—was covered in scales and feathers, and had ‘banana-sized meat cleavers’ for teeth.

What’s even more important is that paleontologists figure there are 1 million acres of cretaceous rock yet to be surveyed in the area—rock that is likely to produce many more new species of dinosaur.

Check out the article here:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/11/behold-newest-dinosaur-king-gore/71346/

Sewers, Backyards…Dinosaurs are Turning Up Everywhere

Image

Reply

Sewers, Backyards…Dinosaurs are Turning Up Everywhere

For the second time in two weeks construction workers in Alberta have uncovered duck-billed dinosaur fossils in their trenches. The hadrosaurs—68-million-year-old plant eaters—were found six metres down by ‘keen-eyed amateurs.’

And the great thing about the latest find is that it’s a rare, virtually complete skeleton—an 8 metre tall teenager.

Check out this article for more:

http://o.canada.com/news/its-hard-to-dig-a-hole-in-alberta-without-finding-a-dinosaur/

Mummified Dinosaur—the Best Preserved Ever

Image

Reply

Mummified Dinosaur—the Best Preserved Ever

A duck-billed dinosaur named Leonardo has the honor of being the best preserved dino fossil ever found. The find, currently being worked on at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis still has 90% of its soft tissue intact—including stomach and contents.

And he was found in Montana by a small band of volunteers!

Leonardo is scheduled to go on public display in March, 2014.
Check out this article for more:

http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/preserved-dinosaur-home-indianapolis-58158/

The Pliosaur in Your Backyard

Image

Reply

The Pliosaur in Your Backyard

Fossil hunters can be the most unlikely people and fossils can turn up in the most unlikely places. Back in 1997 a retired man building a fence in his backyard uncovered a bone from a 250-million-year-old pliosaur—a 65-foot-long predator of the ancient seas.

That’s crazy enough, but check out this article to see what he did with his incredible find…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2484575/Man-dinosaur-bone-garden-16-years-ago-finally-called-museum.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Heddy Lamar–The Bombshell Beauty with an Inventor’s Mind

Image

Reply

Heddy Lamar--The Bombshell Beauty with an Inventor's Mind

In THE TIME EATER, Foster Raymond’s neighbour and fellow fossil hunter, Ashanti, is a fiery Swahili inventor. The inspiration for this strong, brilliant girl was—surprisingly—1930’s MGM movie star, Heddy Lamar. Beautiful, brainy, successful—Heddy was a take-no-prisoners woman in a time when that was rare.

She was a awarded a patent in 1942 for a super-secret communications system that made today’s cellphones and WIFI possible, as well as inventing tons of unusual products in a variety of fields.

And she wasn’t the only celebrity inventor—check out this article for some surprising revelations.

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/shortcuts/2011/dec/04/hedy-lamarr-wifi