In brief
During a standard check along the A8 motorway, French customs officers stumbled upon nine ancient dinosaur teeth hidden within two parcels of a Spanish lorry. The inspection took place on January 28, and following the discovery, the teeth were sent to a local prehistory museum in Menton for analysis.
On Friday, experts confirmed that the teeth dated back to the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 72 to 66 million years ago, traced back to Morocco. The surprise encounter involved a variety of prehistoric reptiles, including one tooth from a Zarafasaura oceanis, a three-meter marine reptile first identified in Morocco in 2011, and three teeth from a Mosasaurus, which could grow up to 12 meters in length. Furthermore, five teeth were identified as belonging to Dyrosaurus phosphaticus, a precursor to modern crocodiles. The lorry driver explained to customs that he was en route to deliver the parcels to recipients in Genoa and Milan, prompting authorities to investigate the intended recipients further. While collecting fossils is legally permissible, exporting them typically requires proper permits. As inspections of lorries traveling between Spain and Italy occur frequently to prevent drug trafficking, this particular haul proved to be an unexpected and intriguing find.
