5.8" Huge Rooted Mosasaur (Prognathodon) Tooth With Smaller Teeth

Huge Rooted Mosasaur (Prognathodon) Tooth With Smaller Teeth #265844

This is a huge and very well preserved, 5.8" long rooted tooth of the mosasaur, Prognathodon collected from the Upper Cretaceous phosphate deposits in the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco. The tooth has been left partially embedded in the rock it was found in and prepared to bring it out in high relief. There are two smaller Mosasaur teeth associated with it, one on each side of the rock.

Rooted mosasaur teeth like this one are not common finds, as nearly all of the "rooted" teeth you see for sale have composite roots. The root on this one is original.

Comes with an acrylic display stand.

Prognathodon was a large, successful mosasaur from the late Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era. Mosasaurs were aquatic carnivorous reptiles related to modern monitor lizards and snakes. There are many species of Prognathodon found all over the world, suggesting that this genus had a worldwide distribution. Most Prognathodon species were around 15-18 feet (5-6 meters) in length, but the largest species, P. saturator was around 40 feet (13 meters) in length. Several adaptations, mainly of the jaws and teeth, indicate Prognathodon seemed specialized for hunting prey in deeper waters. These include specialized dentition for cracking open hard-bodied prey and slicing through their flesh, as well as reinforced eyes and eye sockets for withstanding deep ocean pressure.

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.

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