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RARE GRADE 10 PLIOSAUR MARINE REPTILE TOOTH Phosphate Deposits - Khouribga, Morocco CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 65 million years ago Pliosaur teeth are far more rare in the Cretaceous phosphate deposits of Khouribga than similar-looking gavial crocodile teeth which are found in the same layers. Key anatomical differences allow us to separate the two. This is a complete and wonderfully preserved tooth of a small Pliosaur from the Cretaceous. It is slightly curved with longitudinal grooves and a medial ridge. Enamel is perfect and a portion of the root is included. There are numerous scientifically undescribed creatures still to be identified in these layers and the species of this pliosaur is one of them. This is the first tooth we have collected like this. INTACT WITH NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION. Pliosaurs along with their ancestors, plesiosaurs, first emerged in the Early Jurassic Period. They were among the chief predators of the ancient seas, attacking large sharks, ichthyosaurs and even their relatives, plesiosaurs. Pliosaurs had a large head with very strong teeth and jaws. Their teeth are deeply rooted in powerful jaws backed by extremely large jaw muscles. An immediately obvious difference between pliosaurs and plesiosaurs is the pliosaurs have bodies streamlined for speed and possess a very short neck when compared to the super long necks of the plesiosaurs. Some pliosaurs had as few as only 13 neck vertebra whereas the shortest-necked plesiosaur had 28 vertebrae! The body size of the pliosaurs developed into larger sizes than the plesiosaurs making them a formidable enemy to anything that lived in the ocean during their reign.
FAR RARER THAN THE PREVALENT
GAVIAL TEETH THAT ARE FOUND WHICH LOOK SIMILAR TO THIS TOOTH 1" in length
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