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18" Fossil Mosasaur (Halisaurus) Jaw Section with Teeth - Morocco
This is an 18" long fossil mosasaur jaw section with several intact and unerupted teeth, collected from the Upper Cretaceous phosphate deposits in the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco. It is the right mandible from a mosasaur of the genus/species Halisaurus arambouri.
Comes with an acrylic display stand to assist with presentation.
There are multiple repaired cracks through the jaw, many of which required gap fill restoration to piece back together. Most of the teeth have at least one repaired crack through them and I suspect the third tooth from the anterior end is a composite from another mosasaur.
Comes with an acrylic display stand to assist with presentation.
There are multiple repaired cracks through the jaw, many of which required gap fill restoration to piece back together. Most of the teeth have at least one repaired crack through them and I suspect the third tooth from the anterior end is a composite from another mosasaur.
About Halisaurus
Halisaurus is a comparatively small Mosasaur, maxing out at around 10 feet in length. It was a sleek and likely quick member of the family. Besides its small size, it had distinctive backward-curving teeth likely used for grasping slippery prey like fish. A paper describing this species can be found below.
Description of new specimens of Halisaurus arambourgi BARDET & PEREDA SOBERBIOLA, 2005 and the relationships of halisaurinae
=Halisaurus glides through the Late Cretaceous seas, its streamlined body and powerful tail propelling it past schools of fish in a sunlit prehistoric ocean.
Halisaurus is a comparatively small Mosasaur, maxing out at around 10 feet in length. It was a sleek and likely quick member of the family. Besides its small size, it had distinctive backward-curving teeth likely used for grasping slippery prey like fish. A paper describing this species can be found below.
Description of new specimens of Halisaurus arambourgi BARDET & PEREDA SOBERBIOLA, 2005 and the relationships of halisaurinae
=Halisaurus glides through the Late Cretaceous seas, its streamlined body and powerful tail propelling it past schools of fish in a sunlit prehistoric ocean.
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.
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.
$1,750
SPECIES
Halisaurus arambourgi
LOCATION
Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco
FORMATION
Phosphate Deposits
SIZE
Entire Specimen: 18 x 4.1"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#345192
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