4.8" Fossil Mosasaur (Thalassotitan) Jaw Section with Tooth - Morocco

Thalassotitan 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. The only known species of Thalassotitan is T. atrox, found mainly in present day Morocco. Adults of Thalassotitan could grow as large as 30 to 33 feet (9-10 meters) in length. Its skull could measure up to 4.3 ft (1.3 meters) in length! Heavy wear on its teeth and fossils found in the vicinity of the holotype etched by acid wear from partial digestion suggest that this mosasaur had a diet consisting of smaller mosasaur species, plesiosaurs, large predatory fish, and sea turtles.

It comes from the massive phosphate deposits in the Oulad Abdoun Basin near Khouribga, Morocco. These deposits are mined for phosphate, one of Morocco's biggest exports. The fossils are collected as a byproduct of the mining operations, saving them from certain destruction by the rock crusher.