1.9" Fossil Mosasaur (Hainosaurus) Tooth - Morocco

Hainosaurus is one of the largest known mosasaurs, from the late Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era. Mosasaurs were aquatic carnivorous reptiles related to modern monitor lizards and snakes. There are several species of Hainosaurus, including Hainosaurus boubker sp. nov., found mainly in present day Morocco. Adults of Hainosaurus could grow as large as 26 to 39 feet (8-12 meters) in length. Hainosaurus boubker represents an advanced group of tylosaurines with a blade-like dental structure, exhibiting a morphology well-adapted for cutting apart large prey.

A detailed publication on the tylosaurine mosasaur, Hainosaurus boubker sp. nov., can be found at the link below.

www.researchgate.net/publication

About the Oulad Abdoun Basin

The Oulad Abdoun Basin in central Morocco is one of the most famous phosphate deposit regions in the world, not only for its economic importance but also for its extraordinary fossil wealth. Formed during the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene, these marine phosphate layers record a time when northern Africa was covered by a warm, shallow sea teeming with life.

What makes the Oulad Abdoun deposits especially significant is the remarkable preservation and diversity of vertebrate fossils found within the phosphate beds. The basin is renowned for producing abundant remains of marine reptiles such as mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, along with fossil sharks, rays, bony fish, and turtles. These fossils typically occur as isolated teeth, bones, and partial skeletons concentrated within the phosphatic sediments. Today, many of these specimens are collected as a byproduct of large-scale phosphate mining operations—rescued before the rock is processed and crushed—ultimately saving them from certain destruction in the rock crushers and preserving an extraordinary record of ancient marine life.