7.5" Fossil Pliosaur (Brachauchenius?) Bones in Rock - Asfla, Morocco

Fossil Pliosaur (Brachauchenius?) Bones in Rock - Asfla, Morocco #328651

This is a 7.5" wide section of rock containing an assemblage of associated pliosaur bones, collected from the Upper Cretaceous (Early Turonian Stage) deposits of Asfla, Morocco, north of Goulmima. The bones are disarticulated but likely come from the pectoral/dorsal region of the same animal. Two vertebrae (pectoral?), a rib, and additional unidentified bone fragments are scattered throughout the rock.

There is one described pliosaur from this area; Brachauchenius lucasi, a species known to have inhabited the Western Inland Sea of North America and the coastline of Europe and Western Africa. While we can't be certain these bones are from Brachauchenius lucasi due to lack of identified bone material, the likelihood of this being the species is fairly high considering no other pliosaur species have been documented from this location.

Comes with an acrylic display stand.

Pliosaurs were large, carnivorous marine reptiles belonging to the Pliosauroidea, a clade of short-necked plesiosaurs. They were an apex predator during the Middle Jurassic period when seas covered Europe. Fossil evidence suggests they existed from the Early Jurassic period (200 million years) up until the end of the Cretaceous period (66 million years).

This is Liopleurodon ferox, a species of Pliosaur from the Late Jurassic of Europe. Pencil drawing by Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com).