Chile seizes more than 200 fossils of extinct mollusks

SANTIAGO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - ‌Customs officials ​in ​Chile discovered and seized more than 200 fossils of ammonites in a ‌shipping container from Madagascar that had been ⁠declared as containing household ornaments, the customs authority of ‌the South American country ‌said on Friday.

Ammonites are mollusks closely related to octopuses and squids that became extinct during the ​Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, a major mass extinction that wiped out all of the ⁠non-avian dinosaurs around 66 million years ago.

The seized ammonites, which date ​back around 110 million years, were found among the cargo of a container ​shipped from China supposedly ‌carrying chains, pendants, and glass household ornaments, Chile's National Customs Directorate said.

The "protected ⁠species discovered by Customs arrived in cardboard boxes, wrapped in newspapers and magazines from Madagascar," the ⁠agency said in a statement.

Specialists from the San Antonio Museum ​of Natural History in Chile confirmed that the items were genuine fossils.

Chile's customs authority said it is waiting ‌for a response to an inquiry sent to the government of ‌Madagascar to confirm the fossils' origin and determine ⁠whether the African ‌country will formally ​request their repatriation.

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Paolo Laudani; Editing by Bill ‌Berkrot)

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