Large, 8.3" Fossil Shark (Hybodus) Dorsal Spine - Morocco

Large, Fossil Shark (Hybodus) Dorsal Spine - Morocco #183441

This is a large, 8.3" fossil, dorsal spine of a shark (Hybodus obtusus). It comes from the Late Cretaceous, Kem Kem Beds near Taouz, Morocco. This is one of the larger spines we have had and it is very well preserved with just a few repaired cracks.

Hybodus was a small shark that grew up to 2 meters in length and was thought to have been an opportunistic predator. It had a streamline shape which would have made it adept at hunting down fast prey as well as two different types of teeth sharp cutting teeth for catching prey and flatter grinding teeth for crushing. It is believed that this combination is the key to Hybodus' success.

A paper on Hybodus spines can be found below.

Growth And Form of Finspines In Hybodont Sharks

A complete fossil of Hybodus from Germany showing placement of spine. Image under GNU Free Documentation License

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.