Bones of the Earth

Not only is the solely known fossil belonging to the Coelophysid dinosaur, Scipionyx samniticus,  one of the most unique dinosaur fossils in terms of preservation, but its story of discovery is a tale for the ages in itself. The specimen was discovered in 1981 by amateur Palaeontologist, Giovanni Todesco in the Le Cavere quarry, close to Naples, Italy. Being an amateur is an important aspect of the story, as Todesco was not aware of the significance of his discovery. At this point in time, no Dinosaur had ever been discovered in Italy, so he assumed that it was the remains of an extinct bird. He would go on to prepare the specimen in the basement of his own home, without the use of any optical instrument to examine the specimen properly whilst doing so - something that should make any Palaeontologist curl up in their seat in frustration. He would also tamper with the stone in which the specimen lay, by adding stone plates to the rim to reinforce its strength and adding a fake tail ...