9.2" Archaeocete (Primitive Whale) Jaw Section - Basilosaur

This is a 9.3" long jaw section of a Basilosaur, a type of Archaeocete (primitive whale). It came from the Late Eocene aged deposits in the Western Sahara near Dakhla, Morocco and are associated with teeth of the shark Auriculatus, a Megalodon ancestor. My best research indicates the most likely species is the Basilosaur, Zygorhiza kochii, but I'm leaving a question mark on that because it's not definitive.

The teeth have been remounted in the jaw section but were found in close association in the row. There are several repaired cracks in the jaw section and teeth as well as some areas of gap filling in the cracks. Comes with a display stand.

Artists reconstruction of a group of Basilosaurs.  Creative Commons License
Artists reconstruction of a group of Basilosaurs. Creative Commons License


Basilosaurids
A cast of a Basilosaurus jaw showing the varying tooth shapes in the jaw.
A cast of a Basilosaurus jaw showing the varying tooth shapes in the jaw.
could reach gigantic sizes with some species reaching nearly 60 feet in length. It is believed that they fed exclusively on fish and sharks, and had a mouth full of teeth optimized for catching and chewing this prey. The front teeth in the jaw were pointed for catching and holding fish while they had very uniquely shaped, double rooted molars for chewing.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Unidentified Basilosaur
LOCATION
Dakhla, Western Sahara, Morocco
SIZE
9.2" long
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#89258
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