NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has expressed surprise a dinosaur skeleton seized by the U.S. government is a composite of several ancient creatures, what he calls a "kind of Frankenstein model."
Judge Kevin Castel made the observation Wednesday as he questioned a lawyer for a Gainesville, Fla., fossils dealer.
The judge says lawyers must learn more about the specimen seized in June after it was sold by a Dallas-based auction house for a million dollars.
The U.S. government says it is certain the skeleton came from Mongolia and must be returned.
Attorney Michael McCullough says the dinosaur skeleton was assembled from the bones of several dinosaurs. He argues it should be returned to its owner because it's not a sure thing the bones originated in Mongolia.
