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A mosquito fossilized in amber. Photo Lindsay-archive.
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Santo Domingo.- A fossilized lizard from Dominican Republic is among the 419 items at this week's Natural History Auction, by Dallas, Texas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, according to the Web site prweb.com

It says a prehistoric mastodon skull from Texas, a 26-pound gold nugget from Mexico, and a Chinese meteorite will also be on the auction block. The gallery expects to sell the mastodon skull for its estimated value of $120,000, as part of an effort to overcome the museum’s cash squeeze.

The fossilized lizard from the Dominican Republic “that's been perfectly preserved in prehistoric amber for 30 million years,” is 3 ½ -inches long and is the largest intact animal discovered in amber, it said.

It adds that the reptile’s value, of about $120,000, is “about $30,000 less than a pallasite meteorite found near Fukang, China.”

Dominican Republic’s amber with fossilized animals was featured in the movie ‘Jurassic Park’, and include insects and plants species.

To view a photo of the fossil: www.ambericawest.com/images/lizard/lizard4.jpg

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COMMENTS
6 comment(s)
Written by: chads, 18 Jan 2008 9:37 AM
From: United States
People this is what i mean, the dominican aouthorities should claim this stone and keep it in the museum of natural history. a 30 million year old fasil doas not come by every day, this is another example of our treasure being exploited, with out the country benefitting from it.
Written by: miloskorac This user is banned, 20 Jan 2008 2:39 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo and Punta Cana
Maybe it is a typical Dominican False Ambar with a rubber toy?
Written by: miloskorac This user is banned, 20 Jan 2008 2:43 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo and Punta Cana
Chads, please, you can go anywhere here and enter to Amber mine, and for 1000 pesos, you can get a kilo of raw stuff. Polish it, if you find something, well, you bought it.
Or, go to Amber museum in Santo Domingo. Nice prices.
Written by: chads, 23 Jan 2008 9:03 AM
From: United States
I understand. miloskorac, but when this fossil has been going around being interpreted in movies you know is exotic. As small the country is and dependant on tourism we need every edge to attract visitors and this could of been one more. If this was a fake fossil do you think it would be selling at texas for hundred of thousand of dollars.
Written by: miloskorac This user is banned, 23 Jan 2008 9:32 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo and Punta Cana
Of course not. The fact is that the fossil is in US now. How it gets there, and with a permit of whom? Therefore you doubt in US authorities and Dominican authorities? And you think that both parties made mistake by letting fossil in and out from a country? Now days a fly can not enter in US without to be accused for dirt. Or you think that US have priority to let in the fossil with out proper documentation?
Well, I would imagine any of these options, as we always have picture of ideal world where all the rules are real rules.
Its a shame anyway that this fossil (and from other countries) is in US. Then again who lay the hand, have it. Why is the Louvre museum filled with objects from Greece? Because they were stolen by French archaeologists, mostly in 19 and the beginning of 20 Century, specially from Island Delos.
Written by: RANCIER, 28 Jan 2008 9:04 PM
From: United States, N.J.
miloskorac:
I don't think the French were as crooks as the English ,when it comes to stealing other countries
fossils and artefacts . A good example is the "Rosseta Stone" found in London museum,when its original location is in Egypt. All these took place in the Napoleonic period where he was smart enogh to take archaelogists and scientist in the expedition to the Nile.Where the Britz did not and was easier to take from others as they have always done. The Louvre museum don't have half as much as the Britz pirates have stolen from the world including Spainiard's propperty captured at high seas.The vast amount of stolen artefacts was so big that the Britz had to go underground in ww2. Afraid of german air raids.
It was easier for the US to copy from its Mother Country England and create a better navy to do the same and blockade its lesser powerfull adversaries,
You were right, nothing gets into the USA without having proper documentation except illicit drugs.


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