In this video we will examine the ethics of
collecting dinosaurs, or what I call:
Good Dinosaur Paleontologist verses Bad Dinosaur
Paleontologist.
This is the Natural History of Dinosaurs.
My name is Benjamin Burger, and in this video
will discussion the difference between good
and bad scientific practices in the collection
and curation of dinosaurs.
So I belong to a non-profit organization called
the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, which
has a code of ethics that its members abide
by.
This code has five parts:
Professional standards in collection of fossils
It is the responsibility of vertebrate paleontologists
to strive to ensure that vertebrate fossils
are collected in a professional manner, which
includes the detailed recording of pertinent
contextual data, such as geographic, stratigraphic,
sedimentologic and taphonomic information.
Adherence to regulations and property rights
It is the responsibility of vertebrate paleontologists
to assist government agencies in the development
of management policies and regulations pertinent
to the collection of vertebrate fossils, and
shall comply with those policies and regulations
during and after collection.
The necessary permits on all lands administered
by federal, state, and local governments,
whether domestic or foreign, must be obtained
from the appropriate agency(ies) before fossil
vertebrates are collected.
Collecting fossils on private lands must be
done only with the landowner's consent.
Fossil preparation
Fossil vertebrate specimens should be prepared
by, or under the supervision of, trained personnel.
Publication and education
Information about vertebrate fossils and their
accompanying data should be disseminated expeditiously
to both the scientific community and the interested
general public.
Commercial sale or trade
The barter, sale or purchase of scientifically
significant vertebrate fossils is not condoned,
unless it brings them into, or keeps them
within, a public trust.
Any other trade or commerce in scientifically
significant vertebrate fossils is inconsistent
with the foregoing, in that it deprives both
the public and professionals of important
specimens, which are part of our natural heritage.
Lets look at several cases where paleontologists
did not abide by these ethical standards.
Dr. John Rensberger was a well known paleontologist,
in 2002 he and his students were caught collecting
fossils in the Hanford Reach National Monument
in Eastern Washington, without a permit to
do so.
His crime, not obtaining permission to collect
fossils.
Nate Murphy is a well known dinosaur paleontologists.
In 2007, he became involved in a law suit
over the ownership of fossil dinosaur remains
found on a private ranch in Montana.
The landowners argued that he did not disclose
the true value of the fossils to them, and
were seeking ownership.
In the court proceedings it was discovered
that he was finding the fossils on federal
lands, and faking the locality information
as being found on private land, so that they
could be sold.
His crime, faking locality information, and
trafficking in federal property.
One of the biggest problems in dinosaur paleontology
is poaching or smuggling dinosaurs out of
one country into another, as well as, selling
fossils.
In all these cases, greed significantly decreases
the scientific value of a dinosaur.
The uptick in the smuggling of dinosaur fossils
was kick started, when in 1997, a nearly complete
skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex called Sue was
sold for $7.6 million dollars by Sothebys
auction house, after a lengthy court case,
in which the court found that the fossil belong
to a Sioux tribal member named Maurice Williams,
who was initially paid $5,000 by Peter Larson
at the Black Hills Institute to collect fossils
on his land.
The auction had a dramatic impact on the paleontology
community, as suddenly the value of dinosaur
bones was in the millions (where before they
typically were valued in the hundreds or thousands).
At the time, the United States also did not
have strong laws to protect dinosaur bones,
so people could collect a dinosaur, and if
caught would pay a small misdemeanor, a few
hundred dollars, and no jail time.
This was a few years after the release of
the first Jurassic Park movie and the country
was dinosaur crazy.
Rock and mineral shows became black markets
for the sale of dinosaur bones, and researchers
started to see their sites being vandalized.
As smugglers would only take valuable skulls,
and leave the rest of the bones or destroy
them.
In 2009, the United States passed the first
strong law to protect dinosaurs and other
vertebrate fossil remains on public lands,
and stiffen penalties of the collection of
dinosaurs without permits.
Since then the value of dinosaurs has dropped,
and several recent high profile dinosaurs
have failed to sell at auctions.
However, many dinosaur fossils continue to
be exported (either legally or illegally)
from the United States to be sold in Europe
and Asia.
I personal don’t have a collection of fossils.
I find that museums do a great job of maintaining
and conserving the fossils that I do find,
so that they will last long after I have died.
If you do have a fossil collection, I urge
you to keep diligent notes, and consider an
institution that would serve as a long term
home for your fossils after you pass away.
In this way, the fossils will become important
part of a research collection for the next
generation of scientists.
You should now be able to discriminate between
good and poor scientific practices in the
collection and curation of dinosaur bones.
