EVEN the hornless skull of a 25-million-year-old rhino is not safe from
thieves. Last month, the skull and leg bone of a cow-sized rhino called
Diceratherium were stolen from the University of Michigan鈥檚 Museum of
Paleontology in Ann Arbor.
The bones were in a 鈥渇ossil bed鈥� that had been on display in a sealed glass
case for more than 30 years. Guides regularly asked school groups to count the
skulls. They discovered the theft when visiting children counted four instead of
five.
The missing bones were probably chosen because they were the easiest to
remove, says Gregg Gunnell of the museum. The thieves carefully replaced the
glass case and some 30 screws, 鈥渇iguring that we wouldn鈥檛 notice the skull was
missing for a while because there was a jumbled mass of bones鈥�, says
Gunnell.
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The university is offering a reward for its return.