A Brazilian fish fossil, which lived more than 100 million years ago, was recovered by Brazil after being illegally removed from the country and announced on an Italian auction website, according to the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) this Thursday. thursday (17).
The recovery took place after the initiation of a procedure in Juazeiro do Norte (CE), in 2020. The piece dates from the Cretaceous period, originates from Chapada do Araripe, in Cariri, Ceará. The fossil is valued at approximately R$16,000, according to the MPF.
The prosecutor in charge of the case, Rafael Rayol, explained that it is not yet clear how the piece was removed from Brazil, and explained that this is a common practice, since, in some countries, marketing is legal.
“This is a heritage of the Brazilian nation that was clandestinely abroad. It has great scientific, archaeological and financial relevance. Its repatriation will allow the work of Brazilian and international researchers, as well as the dissemination and presentation in Brazilian museums”, reinforced Rayol.
The fish fossil must be sent to the Regional University of Cariri (Urca), where it will be part of the institution’s museum collection.
According to MPF details, the recovered artifact belongs to the Santana fossil formation group, one of the main paleontological sites in the world and one of the fossiliferous deposits with the greatest diversity of preserved material.
other cases
Rayol points out that there are still dozens of procedures for the repatriation of Brazilian fossils in progress. Cases occur in six countries, in addition to Italy: France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Japan and South Korea.
In 2021, the Public Ministry obtained a favorable decision by the French Justice for the repatriation of almost 1 thousand fossils also with origins in Chapada do Araripe. The material includes 34 boxes containing 345 fossilized animal stones and 648 small squares of fossil-shaped animals and plants.
“As stated in the file, the fossils were seized in August 2013, in the port of Havre, which is one of the main ones in France, located in the Normandy region. In this case, 998 pieces are expected to return to Brazil in May this year,” the MPF said in a statement.
Source: CNN Brasil
