Dinosaur Poaching: A Crime Against Scientists and Children

(See edit below for one archaeologist's reaction to this post.)

Dinosaur piracy.

There, I said it. Today I am writing about dinosaur piracy.

A man was arrested today in Florida on suspicion of smuggling illegal goods and the sale of illegal goods. The "goods" in question are the skeleton of a Tarbosaurus bataar, a dinosaur related to the ever-popular Tyrannosaurus rex. (Most news sources are identifying the skeleton as "Tyrannosaurus bataar". This designation is currently disfavored. There is some disagreement about whether Tyrannosaurus and Tarbosaurus should be considered the same genus or separate. They are currently viewed as two separate genera. Now you know more than you ever thought you would about Tarbosaurus.) The Tarbosaur has been impounded by the U.S. government.

So what exactly is dinosaur piracy? I am glad I rhetorically asked that question on your behalf.