A unique fossil from the late Triassic period which was put up for auction
last week has been saved for science. The fossil of Icarosaurus
siefkeri—the earliest known flying reptile—was in the American
Museum of Natural History in New York for decades. Recently its discoverer,
Alfred Siefker, decided to sell. Last week, businessman Dick Spight bought it
for $167 000 and returned it to the museum. “We’re all very happy about
this and we owe Dick Spight our thanks,” says Kevin Padian of the University of
California in Berkeley.
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