8.9" Fossil Theropod (Spinosaurus?) Dorsal Vertebra - Kem Kem Beds

This is a 8.9" wide, fossil dorsal vertebra of a theropod (likely Spinosaurus) from the Kem Kem Beds of Morocco. The centrum half of the neural canal (vertebral foramen) remained preserved, however the pedicles and everything above are in various states of restoration. The transverse processes and the superior half of the spinous process is missing. There are natural fractures throughout the centrum, though none appear to have required any repair or restoration.

There are two large theropods known from the Kem Kem Beds, Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus. Both have very similar anatomy at the bone level. There are some subtle differences but this bone lacks the markers needed to make a definitive distinction between these two giant theropods.

Comes with the pictured display stand.

The Kem Kem Group is famous for yielding a diverse Late Cretaceous vertebrate assemblage, including fish, reptiles, and dinosaurs such as Spinosaurus. These fossils are found in a thin bed that outcrops around the edge of a large plateau near Taouz, Morocco. Local miners collect these fossils by digging narrow tunnels by hand into this plateau, following the layer.

A paper on this assemblage can be found at: Vertebrate assemblages from the early Late Cretaceous of southeastern Morocco: An overview

One of the tunnels dug into the Kem Kem beds by local miners following the productive fossil beds.
One of the tunnels dug into the Kem Kem beds by local miners following the productive fossil beds.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Spinosaurus sp.?
LOCATION
Kem Kem Basin, Morocco
FORMATION
Kem Kem Beds
SIZE
8.9 x 7.9 x 4.3"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#192541
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