In Depth
Described as a compsognathid dinosaur in 2016, the holotype Beipiaognathus has since been accused of being a fake. The theory is that the holotype is actually parts of many different creatures that an unscrupulous fossil dealer has stuck together in order to sell the fossil for more money. Unfortunately this is an often occurring practice fuelled by people who care more about money than science. At the time of writing the ‘jury is still out’ about the future of Beipiaognathus being genuine, though most people are being very cautious about it, hence it is usually referred to as a dubious genus.
Several genera have had to have been salvaged from fossil fakers, one example being the spinosaurid dinosaur Irritator, the holotype skull of which had been artificially elongated before paleontologists set it right. Most famous of all though was the Archaeoraptor scandal that highlighted the damage faked fossils can do.
Further Reading
- A new species of compsognathid from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning, China. Journal of Geology. 40: 191–196. - Y. Hu, X. Wang & J. Huang - 2016.
