Alex Ritchie, who in 1993 unearthed prehistoric fish fossils dating to the Devonian period — 360 million years ago — is concerned by the sale of rural property where he suspects thousands more specimens lay buried.
The scientist who unearthed a rare and significant site of prehistoric fish fossils, once described by Sir David Attenborough as "world-class" specimens, is concerned by the sale of rural property where he suspects thousands more specimens lay buried.
"When you've got thousands of fishes ranging from 20 centimetres long up to three metres long … it's mind-blowing." "It's not a question of just chipping out a little bit of specimen and putting it in a glass plate," Sir David told Fairfax Media."These are several tonnes in weight, so it is a major job in presenting this extraordinary treasure trove."Dr Ritchie said he was concerned future property owners could exploit the remaining buried treasures for commercial purposes.
"Something happened to dry up a pool and kill literally thousands of fish and then cover them with sand which became rock," Dr Ritchie said. The 85-year-old retiree said a protective structure should be built over the deposit, allowing visitors to watch the excavation of specimens.
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