American YouTuber Coyote Peterson claimed he found a huge primate skull in British Columbia and hid it for several weeks from people who might stop their footage including government officials. He did not identify the secured location but confirmed the skull had been in his possession. Peterson is known for hosting the video channel "Brave Wilderness."
White skull on black surface
Wildlife and Fossil Experts' Reaction to Coyote Peterson's Twitter Post
The popular host of an Animal Planet series said the skull he found in the Pacific Northwest was safe. He said that he could not believe that he discovered a primate skull in Canadian woodland. To date, there were no large primates discovered or currently living in North America.
A science consultant and National Geographic Explorer with expertise in the wildlife trade, Jonathan Kolby, wrote that it is illegal to smuggle any primate specimens into the United States, even if the specimen is found in the wild.
A graduate student in the Geospatial Intelligence program at Johns Hopkins University, geologist, and author of "The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists, Yinan Wang, said that the skull found resembles a gorilla skull cast, which is available on AliExpress. Wang tweeted a side-by-side photo of the cast and the primate skull.
Naish told Live Science in an email that the gorilla skull was a replica of casts of an unknown specie of gorilla available in stores. He said that the skull was from various anatomical characteristics, and the suggestion that it might be a real skull of a primate could be instantly closed down.
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Government Sanctions on Coyote Peterson's Possession of a Primate Skull
Peterson may face legal action because transporting biological specimens and wildlife products or parts required permits issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and/or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) according to the US Customs and Border Protection.
Darren Naish, a vertebrate paleontologist and scientific communicator in the U.K., moving the primate specimens is governed by CITES. It is an international agreement ensuring the worldwide trade of wild animal and plant specimens do not endanger those species' survival. He added that it is highly irresponsible to imply that someone could discover a primate specimen in the wild and then simply transport it.
According to Parks Canada, Peterson violated the National Park General Regulations and the Canada National Parks Act if he had discovered the skull in a national park in Canada. The regulations stated that removing a natural object in a park without a permit and trading either live or dead animals were against the law.
British Columbia also prohibits anyone from collecting vertebrate fossils and demands that any strange or rare specimens be reported to the Royal B.C. Museum, a nearby museum, or the B.C.Fossil Management Office.
Naish said he was told that Peterson often does such acts for clickbait, but it just backfired.
"Maybe this is meant to be taken as harmless fun. But in an age where anti-scientific feelings and conspiracy culture are a serious problem it - again - really isn't a good look. I think this stunt has backfired."
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