400-million-year-old ancient creature remains found in Ukraine nearly stolen
Customs officers seized valuable fossils from an international shipment (Photo: Telegram/State Customs Service of Ukraine)
Kyiv customs officers discovered the remains of ancient creatures in a package that are 400 million years old. They were illegally attempted to be sent to Taiwan. Scientific expertise has recognized these fossils as very valuable from a paleontological perspective, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine on Telegram.
During a customs inspection of an international postal shipment from Ternopil, Kyiv customs officers discovered stones with signs of antiquity and whimsical outlines, suggesting they could have ancient origins. The seized items were sent to the National Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for examination.
"According to experts, the fossils are slabs of early Devonian red sandstone (a geological period of the Paleozoic era) with the armor of two species of Protopteraspis fish, as well as weakly cemented limestone with a whole crab Daira speciose and a red mollusk turtle Halyotis sp," the statement said.
Experts claim these are original fossils found in Podillia, in the basin of the Dniester River. The geological age of three of them is approximately 400 million years, while the crab and mollusk are 10-20 million years old.
The expertise confirmed the uniqueness of these remains (Photo: Telegram/State Customs Service of Ukraine)
The expertise confirmed the uniqueness of these remains (Photo: Telegram/State Customs Service of Ukraine)
The expertise confirmed the uniqueness of these remains (Photo: Telegram/State Customs Service of Ukraine)
The seized fossils are paleontological exclusives, possessing both cultural and scientific value as geological heritage. Experts recommend adding samples to the State Register of National Cultural Heritage and to the Museum Fund of Ukraine.
It's worth noting that permits are required for exporting cultural valuables abroad. Since the necessary documents were not provided to the customs officers, they compiled a protocol for violating customs rules against the individual attempting to send the exclusive paleontological samples abroad, and the paleontological treasures were confiscated.
