France Returns Nine Dinosaur Fossils, Over 70 Million Years Old, to Morocco

In February 2025, the French Customs (Menton – Alpes-Maritimes) seized nine fossilized dinosaur teeth aboard an express freight truck traveling between Spain and Italy. These fossils originated from the Moroccan geological basin and date back to the Late Cretaceous period (72 to 66 million years ago).

Thanks to close cooperation between the French Customs, the French Ministry of Culture, and the French Embassy in Morocco, these fossils were successfully returned to their country of origin.

The seized collection included:
– One tooth from a Plesiosaur, specifically Zarafasaura oceanis (a marine reptile known for its exceptionally long neck);
– Three teeth from Mosasaurs (marine reptiles made famous by the movie “Jurassic World”);
– Five fossilized teeth thought to belong to a Dyrosaurus phosphaticus (a distant relative of the crocodile).