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RARE MONSTROUS INTACT FOSSIL SPERM WHALE VERTEBRA WITH MEGALODON SHARK BITES FROM THE MIOCENE / PLIOCENE PERIOD Undisclosed River - South Carolina, U.S.A. MIOCENE TO PLIOCENE PERIOD: 23.3 - 1.81 million years ago This is an EXTREMELY RARE, MONSTER-SIZED Sperm Whale (Physeter sp.) fossil vertebra - one of the nicest, large prehistoric whale vertebra we have handled. Its size and proximity to associated Sperm whale teeth and Megalodon shark teeth leave no doubt this came from the largest predatory whale of this period. The Megalodon shark and Sperm whales were THE apex predators of this period and both competed for food as well as served as each others' food source when possible. The image of two powerful killing machines larger than passenger buses fighting and tearing at each other underwater must have been an absolutely incredible battle to witness! The sheer size of this thoracic vertebra and its Megalodon bite marks give us a glimpse of the size of these killers. A well-preserved, giant fossil whale vertebra of this size is EXTREMELY UNCOMMON due to the fact that most were preyed upon by large sharks such as Megalodon and scavenged by smaller meat-eaters when they died in prehistory. Furthermore, the porous nature of the bones makes them more susceptible to decomposition and disintegration over time, rather than fossilization. Prehistoric whale bone fossils are most often found incomplete and fragmented, at best. In most cases, when bones are found in groups, they are often accompanied by Megalodon teeth indicating they were an important food source for the massive Megalodon shark. Large toothed whales like the Sperm whale were prime victims of the Megalodon shark. The Sperm whale is and was the largest of all the toothed whales with males attaining lengths in excess of 60 feet. The male Sperm whale is THE largest predator living in the sea today. They are truly the kings of the ocean realm. In prehistory during the Miocene / Pliocene periods, no marine animal grew larger than the Megalodon shark and certain toothed whales such as the Sperm Whale. Fossil whale vertebrae like this example are not common and are seldom found with such nice surface detail, a complete, intact centrum without the typical saltwater and marine life erosion and destruction. This is a rare specimen in that it has a complete centrum and parts of bases of the transverse processes as well as an UNBROKEN spinal cord cavity and base to the dorsal process. We cleaned this specimen in our lab but left some of the barnacles attached in the nerve cord cavity, a testament to its saltwater provenance. The specimen came from a deposit rich in fossil shark teeth of several species including Megalodon and Great White sharks and this fact plus its deep brown hue that runs through the bone is a testament to its prehistoric origin. Despite our operations being centered in the heart of "fossil diver country", examples like this are scarce. This fossil is perfect to display alongside a Megalodon shark tooth collection as this creature would have shared the same waters and served as the main food source for the largest and most dangerous shark that ever lived, the MEGALODON shark. This specimen is far nicer than normally seen deserves a place in the finest fossil collection. THE MOST IMPRESSIVE FOSSIL WHALE VERTEBRA AND WITH MEGALODON BITES! Intact with NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION. Whales, dolphins and porpoises make up the group of air-breathing marine mammals called CETACEANS. This group is comprised of three sub-groups - the extinct ARCHAEOCETI, and two living types, the ODONTOCETI (toothed whales) and MYSTICETI (baleen whales). All have a body structure that is highly adapted for their marine environment. These features include paddle-like forelimbs, lack of external hind limbs, large tail for propulsion underwater, dorsally located nostrils for breathing just above the surface of the water, specialized ears for underwater hearing and a streamlined body profile for efficient hydrodynamic locomotion. Odontocetes are more prevalent and varied than Mysticetes. All of the smaller current living whales (porpoises, orcas, narwhals, pilots, etc.) and a few of the larger ones (Sperm Whale) are toothed (Odontocetes). Mysticetes include the largest animal that ever lived on the earth, the Blue Whale. All cetaceans are carnivorous with a main diet consisting of fish, invertebrates and other marine mammals. Many cetacean fossils are found in sediments alongside fossil shark teeth and other marine vertebrates but whale fossils are much less common compared to other marine vertebrate fossils of the same period and region and whale fossils are often found in fragments or show evidence of predation by prehistoric sharks, no doubt, cetaceans most feared enemy in their prehistoric past. ONE OF THE NICEST GIANT FOSSIL WHALE VERTEBRA WE HAVE EVER SEEN AND.... WITH MEGALODON SHARK BITE MARKS!!!! INCREDIBLY IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY PIECE ALONGSIDE MEGALODON TEETH MEGALODON AND SPERM WHALES WERE THE LARGEST APEX PREDATORS OF THIS PERIOD 12" high x 10" high overall SOLD WH006 Actual Item - One Only |
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