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Sir David Attenborough (left) visits the British Royals
Photo: Kensington Palace / dpa
Prince George was happy too soon: The British royal may have to give back the unusual gift from an animal filmmaker soon.
Pictures had shown the astonished prince, in his hands he held the tooth of a long-extinct shark.
But now Malta is demanding the fossil back.
"There are some artifacts that are very important for Malta's natural heritage and are now abroad that should be brought back," said Culture Minister José Herrera of the "Times of Malta".
The prince had received the gift from none other than Sir David Attenborough, a well-known nature filmmaker.
Attenborough is believed to have found the teeth of the primeval basking shark while on vacation in Malta in the 1960s.
The occasion for the special gift to the little royal was a private screening of the new Attenborough film, as announced by the Kensington Palace.
Carcharocles megalodon was probably the largest shark that ever lived, according to researchers - around three times the size of a present-day great white shark.
The species emerged about 23 million years ago and became extinct 2.6 million years ago.
It has been illegal to remove or excavate fossils in Malta since 2002.
Herrera did not give any details on how he would get the tooth back to Malta.
"I'll get the ball rolling," he said.
In general, the country should do more to bring back objects that are important in natural history.
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lmd / dpa
