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GIANT MOSASAUR TOOTH WITH COMPLETE ROOT AND ASSOCIATED BONES IN ORIGINAL DEATH BED FOSSIL MATRIX Phosphate Deposits - Khouribga, Morocco LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 73 - 65 million years ago This is a very rare 100% natural mass death assemblage matrix fossil of the giant extinct mosasaur Mosasaurus beaugei. This species is the largest known mosasaur from the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco and one of of six species known in the Maastrichtian phosphates of the Ganntour Basin (Morocco). The original matrix shows one very large mosasaur tooth with a full complete root which means that this is not a tooth ejected from the mouth while the beast was alive. The presence of a root indicates the mosasaur died and this tooth and root became separated from the jaw post-mortem. The other bones in the matrix are also original and as found. In recent years, Morocco has substantially curtailed the export of NATURAL fossils such as this and in the coming years, it will be more and more difficult to see anything like this unless it is a fake or an artificially assembled piece for the tourist market. Unlike the hoards of tourist and junk pieces on Ebay floating around the market artificially fabricated with fake bones and cheap grade fossils, this rare, very large specimen is 100% ORIGINAL AS FOUND with cracks filled only to the tooth, NO RESTORATION. This specimen is not a composite of multiple teeth, bones, artificial matrix, etc.. This is a very three dimensional specimen with loads of high relief and display appeal. It is common for local Moroccan diggers to fabricate fake "tourist" pieces out of reproduction and junk bones placed in an artificially created matrix. Some of these can be seemingly impressive to the naive collector or armchair dealer. In contrast, this is a scientific-grade specimen of pure natural origin and minimal preparation. NO FABRICATION OR COMPOSITING OF UNRELATED TEETH OR BONES. Rare and highly recommended as Morocco is now cracking down and enforcing a country-wide export ban on all fossils of natural origin.
Mosasaurs
were the largest lizards that ever evolved and attained lengths of
almost 60 feet with a skull 6 foot long! The mosasaur was a
powerful swimmer who spent its entire life in the sea. Mosasaurs had
long and powerful bodies whose tails and limbs were adapted for
swimming. They probably swam by moving their long body in a
snake-like way, also using their finned tail to propel them forwards.
They steered with small, webbed feet. Mosasaurs had long heads, strong and flexible necks and hydrofoil-like limbs. Their large jaws had stabbing teeth and had a hinge in the mid-lower jaw similar to modern day constrictor snakes.
Mosasaurs ate large fish, shellfish, sharks and some ate mollusks. They lived during the same period T. rex roamed the earth. Mosasaurs can easily be considered the T. rex of the prehistoric seas! Such creatures were true hunter-killers that had no rival during their existence. GIANT CHOICE QUALITY TOOTH IN RARE FORM WITH ORIGINAL FULL ROOT - DEATH BED LAYER WITH ASSOCIATED BONES 5.75" x 4.25" overall with original matrix, tooth is 5.5" long on the curve SOLD DT1-054 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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MOSASAUR by BRIAN CHOO THIS IMAGE IS PROTECTED BY A STRICTLY ENFORCED COPYRIGHT AND MAY NOT BE USED IN ANY WAY |
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Back
in the second half of the 1700's, geologists made a remarkable discovery
near the southernmost city of the Netherlands. A
huge skull was unearthed belonging to a gigantic reptile which had lived
65 million years ago in the waters around what is now Maastricht. The
creature was later named the mosasaur, meaning ‘lizard of the Meuse or
Maas river'. 
This enabled them to swallow huge prey.