Dinosaurs!

US Gives Dinosaur Bones Back to Mongolia After They Were Sold at Chelsea Auction

By Sydney Brownstone Mon., May 6 2013 at 12:20 PM
Categories: Dinosaurs!

dino2.jpg
moominsean via Compfight cc
It isn't enough that the United States consumes nearly 23 percent of the world's old, chewed-up dinosaur bones. Nor was it enough for Hollywood to commission Jurassic Park sequels 2, 3, and 4. Clearly, one of us had to go steal a gen-u-ine dinosaur bones from Mongolia to satisfy our collective pre-history fix. Except now the feds are making us give the dinosaur back.

Before the 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton was sold for $1,052,500 at a Chelsea auction house, the Mongolian government sought a temporary restraining order on its exchange. A Texas state judge granted the order, but the dinosaur bones were sold off anyway, because America. On Monday morning, however, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara announced the US would be giving Mongolia back its "million dollar baby."

More »
Email to Friend
Print Article
Dinosaurs!

Black Market T-Rex: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Dinosaur Bones

By Jason Lewis Fri., Dec. 28 2012 at 11:05 AM
Categories: Dinosaurs!

eric_prokopi_1_300.jpg
Facebook
Eric Prokopi
You may want to check the certificate of authenticity for your Stegosaurus skeleton. Yesterday, a Florida man pleaded guilty to illegally smuggling dinosaur skeletons.

Don't be alarmed if you were unaware that dinosaur bone-smuggling was an issue because we didn't know either. But yesterday's guilty plea from 38-year-old Eric Prokopi, who identifies himself as a commercial paleontologist, proves that it really is.

"Fossils and ancient skeletal remains are part of the fabric of a country's natural history and cultural heritage, and black marketeers like Prokopi who illegally export and sell these wonders, steal a slice of that history," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a release. "We are pleased that we can now begin the process of returning these prehistoric fossils to their countries of origin."

More »

Tags:

dinosaurs, florida, fossils, manhattan us attonrney, mongolia, Prokopi
Email to Friend
Print Article
Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs in NYC! U.S. Government Seizes T-Rex Remains From Florida Man

By John Surico Sat., Jun. 23 2012 at 12:07 PM
Categories: "Knowledge Report", Dinosaurs!, John Surico, See Something, Say Something, Shit That Can't Be Made Up
jurassic.jpg
Sometimes, on a beautiful Saturday, we find a story like this that makes the day even better.

This past week, the head paleontologist at the Museum of Natural History, Mark Norell, noticed a small auction with a listing that should have probably not been there. The auction item was a 11-million-year-old skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus bataar - a creature from the Cretaceous Period that was discovered for the first time in the Gobi Desert by the Soviets in the 1940s.

 It is 8 feet tall, 24 feet long and somehow found itself in the hands of a Florida man who described himself as a "commercial paleontologist," similar to the guy who thought Jurassic Park was a good idea.

Norell notified the U.S. government of his finding and, when an anonymous bidder bought the skeleton for a $1.052 million, authorities swept in and put the transaction on hold. Now, the remains of "Ty" - the dinosaur's clever nickname - are being held in crates in some unknown Queens locations. It will soon be shipped back to its home in Mongolia - a move praised by the country's President, Elbegdorj Tsakshia. Eric Prokopki told authorities that he obtained the specimen in a legal manner but that opinion runs in contrast to the opinions of several professional paleontologists who examined the remains this week.

Yeah, so that's what happening right now in New York City.
More »

Tags:

dinosaurs, u.s. government
Email to Friend
Print Article
Dinosaurs!

Couple Will Be Your Dinosaur For a Year If You Give Them an Apartment

By Jen Doll Mon., Aug. 8 2011 at 3:04 PM
Categories: Dinosaurs!, Fun With Craigslist, Jen Doll, Real Estate, Things You Can Buy, Things You Didn't Know Existed

pleo-pet.jpg
This ad recently appeared in Craigslist's "Real Estate Wanted" listings for Vancouver, where real estate seems nearly as difficult to come by as it is here in New York City.

Unconventional Offer for Adventurous Home Owner (Vancouver)
Date: 2011-06-26, 8:16PM PDT

This offer is not for everyone. Those of you who have saved every penny for most of your life to afford a down payment and currently work around the clock to make mortgage payments, I commend you on your efforts, but this post is not for you.

Do you own more than one property? Do you have so many rental homes with no mortgage payments, yet you still feel unfulfilled? Tired of your illegal tenants whining that there are rats in the walls? Have you always wanted your own dinosaur? Now is your chance my friend.

In exchange for one of your properties, I will be your personal dinosaur for one year.

More »
Email to Friend
Print Article
Dinosaurs!

Museum of Natural History Wants You to Help Name Its Dinosaur

By Esther Zuckerman Fri., Jun. 3 2011 at 10:42 AM
Categories: American Museum of Natural History, Creativity , Dinosaurs!, Esther Zuckerman, Name Game

mame.jpg
American Museum of Natural History
Another day, another naming contest for an animal with a Twitter account, and this one's not even alive. The American Museum of Natural History is trying to name their Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis. The sauropod is part of the museum's World's Largest Dinosaur exhibit (which, by the way, we dig) and is 60 feet long, with 30 of those feet belonging to her neck.

The museum has rolled out all the social media stops for this dinosaur. She tweets with the handle @Giant_Dino, and has struck up conversation with @SUEtheTrex in Chicago.


More »
Email to Friend
Print Article
Dinosaurs!

We Dig the "World's Largest Dinosaur" Exhibit at the Museum of Natural History

By Myles Tanzer Fri., Apr. 15 2011 at 4:15 PM
Categories: Dinosaurs!, Museums, Myles Tanzer, Things That Are Awesome

WorldsLargestDino.jpg
The American Museum of Natural History launches a new exhibit this weekend called "The World's Largest Dinosaurs." We had the privilege of checking it out early. It's housed on the third floor of the museum, the same floor as the traditional dinosaur displays. But this ain't your average dino-exhibit! This is the 2.0 of dinosaur exhibits.

More »
Email to Friend
Print Article
Dinosaurs!

The Dinosaurs Are Coming! RAWR!

By Myles Tanzer Mon., Jan. 3 2011 at 5:16 PM
Categories: Dinosaurs!, Museums, Myles Tanzer, Things That Are Awesome, Things We Are Seriously Invested In

triceratops.jpg
For those of us who never really quite grew out of our elementary school love for giant prehistoric beasts, this is pretty exciting. The American Museum of Natural History has just announced a new exhibit, starting April 16, called "The World's Largest Dinosaurs." Sauropods, a special group of long-bodied dinosaurs, are the main attraction, and there's a full-sized model of Mamenchisaurus, which has a 30-foot neck and is 11 feet tall. Awesome.

More »
Email to Friend
Print Article
VOICE Daily Deals

From the Vault

 

Slideshows»

Links

©2013 Village Voice, LLC, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places New York

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city