1.   A fossil collector, he passed along his passion to his three sons, who became renowned fossil hunters themselves.

2.   But the urban fossil collectors were taking their manhole fetish to a new level.

3.   In north central Florida there is a sinkhole that local fossil collectors call Hog Heaven.

4.   Paleontologists are especially concerned that on-line sales will increase political pressure to open up federally owned lands to commercial fossil collectors, who see profit in prehistoric remains.

5.   The aim is to turf up thousands of rare fossils, which can then be prepared as individual specimens for discerning fossil collectors in America, Germany and Japan.

6.   This put the land under federal jurisdiction and therefore off limits to fossil collectors except by special permit.

7.   Last year, a previously unknown cat-like, flesh-eating dinosaur was discovered in a crumbling cliff by an amateur fossil collector.