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A MONSTROUS row is brewing over the auction on 20 May of a tyrannosaur fossil. The problem? The dinosaur 鈥� Tarbosaurus bataar 鈥� has only ever been found in Mongolia, and exporting fossils from the country has been illegal for 50 years.
Bidding at Heritage Auctions in New York proceeded despite a temporary restraining order and and palaeontologists.
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Heritage, however, says that the $1.05 million sale is 鈥渃onditional鈥� on legal issues being resolved.
As 51动漫 went to press the left leg of another Tarbosaurus fossil was , waiting for auction. The auction house is located near the Natural History Museum.
鈥淚 only became aware of [the auction] when I happened to see the specimen in the window,鈥� says Paul Barrett, a palaeontologist at the museum. 鈥淚 have written to Christie鈥檚 asking about provenance in the light of the news about the US sale.鈥�
