Ancient Seas, Morocco, Cretaceous period, ca. 145 to 66 million years ago. A spectacular trio of ancient marine fossils. The first is a tooth imbedded in a jawbone fragment from the prehistoric mosasaur. They were marine dwelling reptiles, and one of the dominant predators of the ancient seas with a streamlined body and webbed feet. The tooth enamel is a pretty ombre brown and contrasts with the rest of the fossilized jawbone. Next is a fossilized vertebra bone in a stone matrix from another mosasaur. Together, the tooth and vertebra help envision the sheer size of this reptile. The last and most interesting is a fossilized turtle skull, probably from Lytoloma, a sea turtle of a truly massive size. The ocular and nasal cavities are intact, and the matrix is removed in this area. A wonderful collection of prehistoric sea creatures! Size mosasaur tooth: 5" L x 4" W (12.7 cm x 10.2 cm); vertebrae: 8" L x 7" W (20.3 cm x 17.8 cm); turtle skull: 8" L x 7" W (20.3 cm x 17.8 cm)
Provenance: private L.D. collection, Ohio, USA, acquired before January 2019
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#165543
Condition
Mosasaur tooth has a loss to the tip and chips to enamel and stable fissures. The jawbone section has stable fissures and light mineral deposits. Active flaking and chipping to stone matrix on vertebra. Stable fissures on bone. Losses to tips of transverse and spinous processes. Turtle skull has losses to back half as shown. Stable fissures from fossilization in stone matrix.