"It took the museum paleontologists three long years of work to compile the information", said museum director Reinaldo Rojas as reported by Granma newspaper.

"The research was financed by the Environmental Agency of the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, and constitutes an important scientific contribution to data on the countrys biological past", remarked Rojas.

While referring to the recently concluded catalogues on bird, rodent, mollusk, and coral fossils, Rojas explained that in Cuba theres no tradition of monographs that summarize paleontological results.

The catalogues constitute valuable references for researchers, since each new fossil is compared to registered species, facilitating the identification of new discoveries. They are also useful for educational purposes.

The catalogues graphic contents illustrate what fossils are to the general population. They also make it easier to understand the environment by way of the testimonies of past life left by nature.

(www.cubanews.ain.cu)