Exceptional 22.5" Fossil Mosasaur (Thalassotitan) Dentary - Morocco

Exceptional Fossil Mosasaur (Thalassotitan) Dentary - Morocco #334754

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This is a spectacular fossil mosasaur (Thalassotitan atrox) left and right dentary from the Phosphate Deposits near Khouribga, Morocco. The jaw is fragmented in spots and held together by the rock in which it was found. There are 23 total teeth exposed across the specimen; 17 are complete, 2 are unerupted, 2 are incomplete, and there are two more incomplete teeth on the back. A naturally associated crow shark (Squalicorax sp.) can be found within the sandstone between the dentaries.

Measurements:

Entire specimen - 23.3 x 22 x 11.5"
Bone height/width - 21.5 x 16.2"
Longest jaw measurement - 22.5" long

There are some repaired cracks through a few of the teeth and several areas of glue stabilization. That being said, there is no significant restoration to this magnificent specimen. The base of it is a chunk of false rock that holds the specimen upright.

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.

SPECIES

Thalassotitan atrox & Squalicorax sp.

AGE

Late Cretaceous (~70 Million Years)