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LONDON, (CAIS) -- Manager of Kerman Palaeontology Museum said that close to 99 percent of the museum’s fossils have been obtained from the province.

Mohsen Tajrobeh-Kar added that due to shortage of space, only 30,000 fossils had been put on display.

He regretted that there was no space for showcasing 100,000 other fossils, 40 percent of which were unique worldwide.

Possessing many fossils from various geologic eras, Kerman is an excellent place for geological studies, the official said.

He has been collecting fossils around Kerman for almost 25 years. The present museum is the outcome of his lifetime endeavours and the efforts of other experts.

The museum was set up three years ago with the cooperation of the municipality and city council. However, it lacks ideal conditions in terms of space and security. Fossils dating back over 500 million years, have been piled up like cheep stones.

Asked about the location of the fossil discovery site, he said he could not reveal that information because the region was not guarded.

Pointing to the absence of interaction between Kerman University’s Geology Faculty and the museum, he recalled, “Initially, there was good collaboration, but it gradually faded due to difference of opinions.“

He went on, “All textbooks stipulate that only skeletons are transformed into fossils while flesh decays. But by studying the discovered samples, I believe that special climatic conditions in Kerman during Jurassic and Precambrian eras caused various creatures such as fish to totally covert into fossils.“

He referred to the correspondences made with the universities of Shiraz, Hormuzgan and Tehran’s Teacher Training University in this regard, adding, “A book on fleshy fossils has been authored by Mehdi Mozaffari in New Zealand’s Massey University which is to collaborate with the museum in the near future.“

He said the museum should earn its costs through ticket sales. However, with an average 70 visitors per month, the museum cannot meet its financial requirements.

Tajrobeh-Kar reiterated his thesis on fossils, insisting the flesh of creatures could be transformed into fossils under certain circumstances.

He referred to samples he had collected as proof that such a phenomenon had occurred in Kerman.

He said the museum should become a gathering place for geology and palaeontology experts.

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