One of the greatest challenges of fossil collecting relates to location, Recent issues regarding the discovery, sale, and donation of fossils (particularly dinosaur fossils) have led to the realization that better laws must be put into place to protect paleontological specimens. As many natural history museums contain unique paleontological specimens, understanding the rules and regulations of ownership currently in place may help to dispel future problems.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ChewA. Z.2005. “Nothing Besides Remains: Preserving the Scientific and Cultural Value of Paleontological Resources in the United States.”Duke Law Journal54(4): 1031–1060.
2.
CunoJ.2004. Whose Muse? Art Museums and the Public Trust.Oxford: Princeton University Press.
3.
DuffyP. K., and LofgrenL.A.1994. “Jurassic Farce: A Critical Analysis of the Government's Seizure of “Sue”, a Sixty-Five-Million-Year-Old Tyrannosaurus Rex Fossil.”South Dakota Law Review39: 3.
4.
JimD. G.2002. Johnson v. M'Intosh and the South Dakota Fossil Cases. St. Louis University Law Journal46: 791–798.
5.
LazerwitzD.J.1994. “Bones of Contention: The Regulation of Paleontological Resources on The Federal Public Lands.”Indiana Law Journal69: 601–636.
6.
LeeM.B.2005. The Business of Dinosaurs: The Chicago Field Museum's Nonprofit Enterprise. Unpublished thesis. George Washington University.
7.
LundgrenG.1998. “Protecting Federal Fossils from Extinction.”Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review26: 225–262.
8.
MalaroM.C.1994. “PoorSue: The Realities of Protecting Archeological and Paleontological Artifacts.” In Museum Governance: Mission Ethics Policy, 118–128. Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian.
9.
MateusO., OverbeekeM., and RitaF.2008. “Dinosaur Frauds, Hoaxes and ‘Frankensteins’: How to distinguish fake and genuine vertebrate fossils.”Journal of Paleontological Techniques, 2: 1–5.
10.
MonasterskyR.1995. “For the Sake of Sue: What will happen to the World's BestT. rex?” Science News148(20): 316–318.
11.
MonasterskyR.1997. “Psst…Wanna Buy a T. rex? Paleontologists Fret about Dinosaur Sales.”Science News152(24): 382–385.
12.
SakuraiD.S.1994. “Animal, Mineral, or Cultural Antiquity: The Management and Protection of Paleontological Resources.”Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review17: 197–243.
WeimerD.R.2004. “Paleontological Resources Preservation Act: Proposal for the Management and Protection of Fossil Resources Located on Federal Lands.”CRS Report for Congress: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, CRSl–CRS12.
15.
WeimerD.R.2005. “An Overview of S. 263, the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act: Fossil Resources Located on Federal Lands.”CRS Report for Congress: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, RS22152.
16.
WinstonJ.E.1999. Describing Species: Practical Taxonomic Procedure for Biologists.New York: Columbia University Press.
