Friday, December 18, 2015

The Giving of December. Minotaurasaurus

Minotaurasaurus was an Asian ankylosaurid dinosaur,‭ ‬presumably of the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬However the skull that makes up the holotype of Minotaurasaurus is more famous for the controversy surrounding it.‭ ‬The skull was purchased from a fossil dealer by Vilayanur S.‭ ‬Ramachandran,‭ ‬who in turn allowed it to be studied by palaeontologists.‭ ‬However at the time it was illegal to export fossils from China‭ (‬which includes Mongolia‭)‬,‭ ‬and some have pointed out that no documentation exists to prove it removed with permission from the Chinese authorities.‭ ‬Ramachandran for his part has stated that he does not mind handing the fossil over to the relevant authorities,‭ ‬but only if it can be proven that the fossil was indeed illegally taken.

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