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19.5" Fossil Plesiosaur (Zarafasaura) Cervical Vertebrae - Morocco
This is a fascinating, slightly disarticulated string of cervical vertebrae from the Late Cretaceous-aged plesiosaur, Zarafasaura oceanis. It was collected from the phosphate deposits in the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco. One side of the specimen has been completely prepped free from the sandstone while the opposite side has been left partially covered with a wide assemblage of naturally associated bones and teeth. They're beautifully intact and still attached to a section of rock in the exact positions they were found within the ground. The entire string measures 19.5" long.
There are five complete plesiosaur centrums, each with partial processes and intact neural canals, with an additional partial vertebra on each end. The other identifiable fossils include isolated fish vertebrae, a serrated crow shark (Squalicorax) tooth, two mackerel shark (Serratolamna ascheroni) teeth, and an Enchodus fish fang. A false rock has been included at the bottom to act as a base.
A one of a kind display and truly breathtaking plesiosaur specimen!
There are five complete plesiosaur centrums, each with partial processes and intact neural canals, with an additional partial vertebra on each end. The other identifiable fossils include isolated fish vertebrae, a serrated crow shark (Squalicorax) tooth, two mackerel shark (Serratolamna ascheroni) teeth, and an Enchodus fish fang. A false rock has been included at the bottom to act as a base.
A one of a kind display and truly breathtaking plesiosaur specimen!
About The Plesiosaur Zarafasaura
Zarafasaura is a genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 70 million years ago. Known primarily from fossils found in the phosphates of the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco, Zarafasaura is notable for being one of the last plesiosaurs to exist before the mass extinction that ended the age of dinosaurs.
This marine reptile belonged to the family Elasmosauridae, known for their long necks and small heads, adapted to snatch prey in the open ocean. Zarafasaura had a moderately long neck, although not as extreme as some other elasmosaurs, and a streamlined body with powerful flippers that allowed it to move gracefully through the water. It likely fed on fish and squid, using quick, precise strikes to catch its prey.
Zarafasaura's skull is distinctive, with robust jaws and sharp, conical teeth that indicate it was a predator capable of grasping slippery prey. Its fossils provide important insights into the diversity of marine reptiles in the North African region during the Cretaceous and highlight the adaptations of elasmosaurs to a range of marine environments.
A reconstruction of a swimming Plesiosaur.
This species of of Plesiosaur was redescribed from Plesiosaurus mauritanicus to Zarafasaura oceanis in a 2011 paper which can be found at:
A NEW SPECIMEN OF THE ELASMOSAURID PLESIOSAUR ZARAFASAURA OCEANIS FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS (MAASTRICHTIAN)OF MOROCCO
Zarafasaura is a genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 70 million years ago. Known primarily from fossils found in the phosphates of the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco, Zarafasaura is notable for being one of the last plesiosaurs to exist before the mass extinction that ended the age of dinosaurs.
This marine reptile belonged to the family Elasmosauridae, known for their long necks and small heads, adapted to snatch prey in the open ocean. Zarafasaura had a moderately long neck, although not as extreme as some other elasmosaurs, and a streamlined body with powerful flippers that allowed it to move gracefully through the water. It likely fed on fish and squid, using quick, precise strikes to catch its prey.
Zarafasaura's skull is distinctive, with robust jaws and sharp, conical teeth that indicate it was a predator capable of grasping slippery prey. Its fossils provide important insights into the diversity of marine reptiles in the North African region during the Cretaceous and highlight the adaptations of elasmosaurs to a range of marine environments.
A reconstruction of a swimming Plesiosaur.
This species of of Plesiosaur was redescribed from Plesiosaurus mauritanicus to Zarafasaura oceanis in a 2011 paper which can be found at:
A NEW SPECIMEN OF THE ELASMOSAURID PLESIOSAUR ZARAFASAURA OCEANIS FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS (MAASTRICHTIAN)OF MOROCCO
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.
SPECIES
Zarafasaura oceanis
AGE
LOCATION
Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco
FORMATION
Phosphate Deposits
SIZE
String: 19.5" long, Entire Specimen: 21.75 x 9.5 x 6.3"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#334778
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