One dinosaur fossil found in Brazil will be returned after passing 35 years at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany. The species Irritator challengeri lived around 110 million years ago and was discovered in Chapada do Araripe, in Ceará.
According to Secitece (Secretariat of Science, Technology and Higher Education), the material arrives in Brazil in the coming monthsafter completing the bureaucratic and transport logistics steps, as the piece requires specific care.
When it arrives, the fossil should join the collection of the Plácido Cidade Nuvens Museum of Paleontology, in Santana do Cariri, Ceará.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the return on April 20th in a joint statement with Germany, following the visit of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to the country. On the date of the visit, the process was already in its final stages, with the participation of the Government of Ceará.
After confirmation, Aline Ghilardi, paleontologist at UFRN (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte), was one of the scientists who celebrated the achievement. See below:
“The return of this fossil, especially to its place of origin, goes far beyond the return of a single scientific specimen. It carries a deep cultural and symbolic weight, and has the potential to transform realities: inspire new generations, strengthen local research and affirm that heritage belongs to the place where their stories are rooted“, stated Aline.
Before the agreement, including Aline, put pressure on authorities in both countries to make the return of the fossil possible. One of the means found was the creation of a petition, which has accumulated more than 34 thousand signatures.
Also on social media, the the first UNESCO World Geopark in the Southern Hemisphere, highlighted the importance of the fossil. “Directly linked to the Araripe Basin, this Important fossil reinforces the international relevance of our region and the need to preserve, research and celebrate the natural riches that make Araripe Geopark a unique territory in the world.”
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also spoke about repatriation. “Both sides value scientific cooperation in the area of fossil research, with the aim of using the experience and collections available in Germany and Brazil for the mutual benefit of both countries. In this context, both governments welcome the willingness of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart to return the Irritator challengeri fossil to Brazil.”
Discover the Irritator challengeri
The name of the fossil is connected to the story of its discovery in 1991. At the time, German paleontologists were frustrated to discover that the had been adulterated by Brazilian smugglers, and they chose the term Irritator, which derives from the word “irritation”.
According to Secitece, parts missing due to tampering were filled with plaster to enhance the piece, requiring meticulous work to remove the material and generating great opposition among researchers.
The name of the species, challengeri, pays homage to the character Professor Challenger, from the work The Lost World, written by Arthur Conan Doyle.
*Under the supervision of Carolina Figueiredo
