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Photos of the lower jaw of a Spinosaurus aegypticus, one of the rarest dinosaurs fist discovered in Egypt in 1915, have been circulating on the Internet. Reported by Abdelouahed Lagnaoui, a Moroccan paleontologist working at the Kanzan Federal University in Russia, the fossils of the dinosaur are being allegedly sold on the Internet by an individual named «George Corneille».
Contacted by Yabiladi, Abdelouahed Lagnaoui said that «the man did not write in a explicit way that the fossils are for sale but in the comments section, people were asking him about the price and replied saying that he would give them the price of the fossils by inbox», Lagnaoui explained. What remains astonishing is the fact that these fossils are part of George Corneille’s collection. Lagnaoui argues that :
«The fossils that appear in the photos, unfortunately, have no records because apparently they were stolen from Morocco. But in general the Spinosaurus aegypticus is a very rare dinosaur. It was found only two times in the world. In 1915 the first Spinosaurus was discovered in Egypt that is why the species is called aegypticus. A German scientist found the fossils and brought them to Germany where they stayed in a museum located in Munich. During World War II, the museum was destroyed and the fossils too».
Denouncing the allegations
Replying to allegations, George Corneille, the man who posted photos of the Spinosaurus fossils told Yabiladi that he bought the lower jaw years ago in the USA stating that they were indeed sourced from Morocco. «The fossil was purchased in Tucson, Arizona in 2005, I have no idea where the fossil is now, I purchased it from a Moroccan dealer», stated Corneille.
«I am just a person who collects mainly shark teeth but I did have this specimen for about two years», he explained adding that «the fossil is not for sale by (me)». When asked about his Facebook post Corneille replied insisting that :
«Iwas asked what value would this fossil be worth and I responded by saying that I would (send a) private message (to) the person who asked, my response was by the way 3,000 to 5,000 Dollars».
Speaking about the situation of the jaw in the pictures, he clarified saying «the jaw, by the way, was heavily restored and all the teeth were placed and glued back in, there was a lot of damage but the Moroccans are very good at repairing and compositing specimens».
The man said there are a lot of Moroccan dealers selling fossils and «exporting to the USA and Europe to museums and big private collectors».
For the record, Spinosaurus is a very special species due to «its unique adaptations that may have allowed the dinosaur to hunt underwater. Like crocodiles, Spinosaurus had a long narrow snout with nostrils mid-skull, perfect for submerging. It also had a second pair of openings, likely neurovascular slits that are also found in crocodiles», as described in an article published by the Smithsonian, a scientific magazine.
