12.2" Fossil Mosasaur (Tethysaurus) Jaw - Asfla, Morocco

Fossil Mosasaur (Tethysaurus) Jaw - Asfla, Morocco #225273

This is an impressive, 12.2" long association of two fossil Mosasaur (Tethysaurus nopcsai) jaw sections collected near Goulmima, Morocco. Between the two jaws there are 11 original teeth still in place. The longest jaw section measures 5.15" long and the smaller jaw is roughly 4.4" long. There is some touch-up restoration and minor gap fill on various parts of the specimen including a repaired crack running through the anterior end of the larger jaw. Additional bone fragments are scattered on the rock with the two jaws, including what appears to be a tarsal bone.

This gorgeous specimen comes with an acrylic display stand.

Tethysaurus was a small-to-medium-sized mosasaur that lived during the Early Turonian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 93 million years ago. It grew to around 10 feet (3 meters) in length and seemed to be a transitional species between some of the more primitive mosasaurs and later mosasaur groups. Its fossils have been found near the villages of Asfla and Tadirhourst in east-central Morocco.

Tethysaurus was named after Tethys,‭ ‬the ancient Greek goddess of the sea. The ancient Tethys Ocean, which once separated Laurasia‭ (‬the northern continents‭) ‬from Gondwana‭ (‬the southern continents‭), is also named for this Greek goddess.