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Rooted Plesiosaur (Zarafasaura) Tooth & Shark Tooth in Rock - Morocco
This is a 2.67" long, rooted tooth from the Cretaceous marine reptile Zarafasaura oceanis, a long-necked plesiosaur from the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco. The tooth preserves nearly the entire root—a rare occurrence that indicates it was not a naturally shed tooth but one lost during the animal’s life. It has been almost entirely exposed from the rock it was found in and preserved alongside a crow shark (Squalicorax sp. tooth.
Comes with an acrylic display stand to assist with presenation. There are multiple repaired cracks through the plesiosaur tooth.
Comes with an acrylic display stand to assist with presenation. There are multiple repaired cracks through the plesiosaur tooth.
About The Plesiosaur Zarafasaura
Zarafasaura is a genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 70 million years ago. Known primarily from fossils found in the phosphates of the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco, Zarafasaura is notable for being one of the last plesiosaurs to exist before the mass extinction that ended the age of dinosaurs.
This marine reptile belonged to the family Elasmosauridae, known for their long necks and small heads, adapted to snatch prey in the open ocean. Zarafasaura had a moderately long neck, although not as extreme as some other elasmosaurs, and a streamlined body with powerful flippers that allowed it to move gracefully through the water. It likely fed on fish and squid, using quick, precise strikes to catch its prey.
Zarafasaura's skull is distinctive, with robust jaws and sharp, conical teeth that indicate it was a predator capable of grasping slippery prey. Its fossils provide important insights into the diversity of marine reptiles in the North African region during the Cretaceous and highlight the adaptations of elasmosaurs to a range of marine environments.
A reconstruction of a swimming Plesiosaur.
This species of of Plesiosaur was redescribed from Plesiosaurus mauritanicus to Zarafasaura oceanis in a 2011 paper which can be found at:
A NEW SPECIMEN OF THE ELASMOSAURID PLESIOSAUR ZARAFASAURA OCEANIS FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS (MAASTRICHTIAN)OF MOROCCO
Zarafasaura is a genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, around 70 million years ago. Known primarily from fossils found in the phosphates of the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco, Zarafasaura is notable for being one of the last plesiosaurs to exist before the mass extinction that ended the age of dinosaurs.
This marine reptile belonged to the family Elasmosauridae, known for their long necks and small heads, adapted to snatch prey in the open ocean. Zarafasaura had a moderately long neck, although not as extreme as some other elasmosaurs, and a streamlined body with powerful flippers that allowed it to move gracefully through the water. It likely fed on fish and squid, using quick, precise strikes to catch its prey.
Zarafasaura's skull is distinctive, with robust jaws and sharp, conical teeth that indicate it was a predator capable of grasping slippery prey. Its fossils provide important insights into the diversity of marine reptiles in the North African region during the Cretaceous and highlight the adaptations of elasmosaurs to a range of marine environments.
A reconstruction of a swimming Plesiosaur.
This species of of Plesiosaur was redescribed from Plesiosaurus mauritanicus to Zarafasaura oceanis in a 2011 paper which can be found at:
A NEW SPECIMEN OF THE ELASMOSAURID PLESIOSAUR ZARAFASAURA OCEANIS FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS (MAASTRICHTIAN)OF MOROCCO
About the Oulad Abdoun Basin
The Oulad Abdoun Basin in central Morocco is one of the most famous phosphate deposit regions in the world, not only for its economic importance but also for its extraordinary fossil wealth. Formed during the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene, these marine phosphate layers record a time when northern Africa was covered by a warm, shallow sea teeming with life.
What makes the Oulad Abdoun deposits especially significant is the remarkable preservation and diversity of vertebrate fossils found within the phosphate beds. The basin is renowned for producing abundant remains of marine reptiles such as mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, along with fossil sharks, rays, bony fish, and turtles. These fossils typically occur as isolated teeth, bones, and partial skeletons concentrated within the phosphatic sediments. Today, many of these specimens are collected as a byproduct of large-scale phosphate mining operations—rescued before the rock is processed and crushed—ultimately saving them from certain destruction in the rock crushers and preserving an extraordinary record of ancient marine life.
The Oulad Abdoun Basin in central Morocco is one of the most famous phosphate deposit regions in the world, not only for its economic importance but also for its extraordinary fossil wealth. Formed during the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene, these marine phosphate layers record a time when northern Africa was covered by a warm, shallow sea teeming with life.
What makes the Oulad Abdoun deposits especially significant is the remarkable preservation and diversity of vertebrate fossils found within the phosphate beds. The basin is renowned for producing abundant remains of marine reptiles such as mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, along with fossil sharks, rays, bony fish, and turtles. These fossils typically occur as isolated teeth, bones, and partial skeletons concentrated within the phosphatic sediments. Today, many of these specimens are collected as a byproduct of large-scale phosphate mining operations—rescued before the rock is processed and crushed—ultimately saving them from certain destruction in the rock crushers and preserving an extraordinary record of ancient marine life.
SPECIES
Zarafasaura oceanis & Squalicorax sp.
AGE
LOCATION
Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco
FORMATION
Phosphate Deposits
SIZE
Tooth: 2.67" long, Entire Specimen: 4 x 2.2"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#345250
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