AUSTRALIA returned a black-market collection of dinosaur and ancient reptile fossils to China on 21 June. The fossils, seized as part of a joint operation between the two countries, include a 130-million-year-old fossil of a marine reptile, the hyphalosaurus, and a collection of rare dinosaur eggs.
Earlier this month, Australia’s Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH), federal police and Chinese investigators intercepted an even bigger haul of some 20 tonnes of fossils from warehouses in Mandurah, near Perth, Western Australia. These fossils are also expected to be returned to China, unless there is a legal challenge.
“We are looking to clarify whether they were actively…
