When paleontologists find dinosaur fossils, they close off the site to outsiders. The site (often called a "dig") is protected. Fossil collecting on private land, if you have the landowner's permission, is legal. These fossils are legally taken, but never reported to scientists or museums. The biggest worry is the lost scientists research. If a dinosaur fossil is stolen, there is no proper recording of the fossil. This means that scientists cannot study the specimens. Maybe the fossil is a new species of dinosaur. Or maybe the fossil could give scientists clues to how dinosaurs died. Unfortunately, the problem of fossil theft is only getting worse.