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INVESTMENT GRADE 5.3 INCH COMPLETE SPINOSAURUS GRASPING HAND CLAW Tegana Formation - Northern Sahara Desert, Morocco LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 96 - 66 million years ago This huge RARE Spinosaurus grasping hand claw is a spectacular example of the highest quality one could ask for. It represents a truly investment-grade example. The claw is 100% COMPLETE with superb surface detail and hue. Fossil dinosaur deposits in this region are now becoming seriously depleted with very few finds like this coming out anymore. The blood grooves are extremely distinct and full on both sides and the entire claw is complete with only a single hairline fracture repair at a point .75 inches from the distal tip. A small region has been restored that is a part of this repair but this area measures only .35" x .25" in size. No other repair or restoration was performed to this amazingly well-preserved whopper claw. The entire surface is dense and has held up remarkably well for the last 90 million years. The hue has been preserved in a light golden yellow. Claws of this quality are almost never found any more at the site. The overall form and fullness of this claw is superb and from tip to end, is complete! Tip is complete, showing fantastic sharp preservation. To
summarize, LARGE DINOSAUR CLAWS in this condition ARE SUPER RARE.
Such authentic, high grade fossils will continue to climb in price as
market demand far exceeds the supply. This has and will continue
to prove true. Another casualty of dwindling supply is the
presence of fake and heavily restored specimens becoming more prevalent. WARNING: We are seeing more and more claws coming out of Morocco that have been expertly reconstructed and restored IN Morocco. The workmanship is equal to U.S. skill levels and this is being done to fully exploit gaining the highest possible price at the source by the brokers of the diggers who find the claws and fossils. These expertly repaired and restored claws can fool all but the most trained eye and anyone that does not actually have extensive experience in fossil restoration, repair and preparation will likely not be able to tell the difference. These claws are being sold at shows and on the internet as having "NO REPAIR and/or NO RESTORATION" which is simply untrue but the ignorance of the seller is just repeating what the Moroccan dealer told him without their own ability to discern if any work was truly performed on the claw. EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE CLAWS HAVE BEEN COMING IN QUANTITY RECENTLY FROM MOROCCO. DESPITE THEIR HEFTY PRICE TAGS, SEVERAL WE HAVE EXAMINED WERE TOTAL FAKES! We have also heard this from one highly experienced fossil restoration expert who has been sent claws from unsuspecting buyers hoping to have their purchase improved with further preparation. The workmanship of these claws is higher than seen in the past so be HIGHLY SUSPECT when purchasing such specimens from dealers that lack extensive experience in preparation and fake identification. On an even more disturbing note, we have encountered extremely convincing fakes carved entirely out of camel bone as well as fossil bone! This makes detecting fakes even more difficult to the untrained eye because the pores in the bone replicate the pores in a real claw! The determinating factor of these fakes is that the pores of the bone are located in odd areas on the fake claw that otherwise would not be present on a real claw. On our most recent trip to the Sahara Desert, we handled several incredibly well-made fakes using both modern and fossil bone that certainly would have fooled many dealers as well as collectors who lack the knowledge of determining the minute details of the pore anatomy on a genuine claw. This migration of highly skilled restoration work being done now at the source country of fossils is actually becoming more the norm with many varieties of fossils on the market. It is IMPERATIVE to ONLY deal with a very knowledgeable dealer who has considerable and first-hand personal experience with all facets of fossil fabrication, restoration and repair in order to avoid becoming a victim of the ignorance and fraud that unfortunately plagues this business. The staff of Paleo Direct is fully experienced and regularly performs all phases of fossil preparation, repair and restoration on their premises where needed. This work is always disclosed on our website voluntarily, and can be found in the text of the fossils we offer.
Spinosaurus is estimated to have been THE LARGEST of all meat-eating dinosaurs that ever lived. With a length of 52.5 to 59 feet long, 20 feet high and 9 - 10 tons in weight, it was truly a behemoth! Its most unusual feature was a row of broad club-shaped spines 6 feet tall, projecting upward from the backbone. It's believed that these spines were covered with a sail of skin which could be raised by the creature as a social display or as a way to regulate body temperature. To this day, no other dinosaur has been found with such tall and broad-shaped neural spines. Fossil remains of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus are only found in the North African Sahara Desert. Contrary to the inhospitable desert environment where Spinosaurus fossils are found today, this region was a vast swampy tropical paradise abundant with life during the Cretaceous Period, 95-93 million years ago, when Spinosaurus was alive and inhabiting its muddy river shores and bogs. SUPER RARE QUALITY AND SIZE - 100% AUTHENTIC AND COMPLETE GIANT HAND CLAW FROM THE LARGEST MEAT-EATING DINOSAUR THAT EVER LIVED! 5.3" long on the dorsal curve $7495 DC5-002 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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7495 |
The
remains of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus were first
discovered by a German collector in 1912 in central Egypt. A variety
of pieces were recovered including a skull and teeth. On the evening
of April 24, 1944, a British bombing run on Munich destroyed these and
many other rare fossil specimens.