The Times of Malta reported on the request on Monday. Attenborough found fossils on holiday in Malta in the 1960s. However, according to Maltese Minister of Culture José Herrera, the tooth should be exposed where it comes from.
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“Some artifacts important to Malta’s national heritage have ended up abroad and should be returned,” Herrera said.
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Prince George may have to return the tooth.
Photo: Profimedia.cz
“We pay a lot of attention to historical and artistic artifacts, but sometimes we neglect bits of science. And I would like to change this approach, “the Maltese minister added.
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According to Reuters, the British royal families informed about the gift on Saturday. According to her, Prince William’s seven-year-old son received a tooth from Sir Atenborough during a private screening of the naturalist’s latest documentary, A Life On Our Planet.
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According to the Times of Malta, fossils fall under the definition of cultural heritage as “movable or immovable objects of geological importance”.
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The donated tooth belonged to a giant prehistoric megalodon shark, which, according to scientists’ calculations, measured up to 16 meters and of which only teeth or vertebrae have survived to this day.
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