In brief
On January 28, French customs officers made a surprising find during a routine check of a Spanish lorry, uncovering nine dinosaur teeth believed to date back 72 to 66 million years to the Late Cretaceous period. The discovery occurred on the A8 motorway, which connects Spain and Italy, highlighting the often unpredictable nature of such inspections.
Following their discovery, the teeth were sent to a prehistory museum in Menton for examination, where experts identified three of the teeth as belonging to a Mosasaurus, an immense marine reptile that could reach lengths of up to 12 meters. Additionally, one tooth was attributed to a Zarafasaura oceanis, a 3-meter-long marine creature, while the remaining five were from a Dyrosaurus phosphaticus, an ancestor of modern crocodiles. The lorry driver, who was set to deliver the parcels to recipients in Genoa and Milan, stated he wasn't aware of the fossil contents. Collecting fossils is permissible; however, exporting them often necessitates a license, prompting authorities to investigate the intended recipients of these prehistoric treasures.
