Halisaurus (Mosasaur) Jaw Section With Two Teeth

This is a small jaw section with two teeth of a Halisaurus ("Ocean Lizard") which was in the Mosasaur family. They were small compared to other Mosasaurs reaching lengths of 3-4 meters.

This jaw section is Upper Cretaceous in age and was collected in the phosphate mines in the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco. Fossils of Halisaurus are quite rare compared to some of the Mosasaurs from these deposits. There is no restoration or repair on this jaw section and you can see several other bone fragments and a vertebrae in the matrix.

Beware: Mosasaur jaws are one of the most frequently faked fossils. You can find hundreds of nearly identical looking jaws for sale described as authentic from many places both online, at gift shops and fossil shows. They are typically constructed using real Mosasaur teeth (which are quite common) mounted on a cast or molded jaw. Real jaws are quite rare finds.