Shark, Plesiosaur

In this lot, a set of teeth of good size from the species Otodus Obliquus (7.5 cm), Zarafasaura Oceanis (4 cm), and Mosasaurus beaugei (5.4 cm) is being auctioned. Very good overall preservation, O. Obliquus tooth with the two typical lateral cusps of the species, plesiosaur tooth repaired. All the teeth have a natural enamel shine, very pleasant. They come from phosphate mines (main quarries Oued Zem, Sidi Daoui and Sidi Chennane) in the Abdoun Ouled basin, Khouribga Province (Morocco). Oulad Abdoun is the largest fossil basin, and the northernmost of Morocco’s main phosphate basins. The phosphate deposits have preserved a large quantity of vertebrate fossils from the Late Cretaceous to the Eocene. The fossils include a diversity of marine and terrestrial animals, such as mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodiles, elasmobranchs, and dinosaurs. Although they come from the same quarries, these species correspond to different geological times; Otodus Obliquus belongs to the Paleogene strata, mainly Paleocene-Eocene epochs, while Mosasaurus and Plesiosaurus are located in Upper Cretaceous strata. Each Mosasaur species has a type of teeth that are easily recognizable; in the case of M. beaugei they tend to be quite massive and blade-like (drillers), laterally compressed and usually presenting longitudinal flat facets along the tooth, unmistakable. M. beaugei is among the largest mosasaurs known, with an average size of up to 10 meters, although jaw studies of some specimens suggest a size up to 14 meters. Zarafasaura Oceanis, according to Arabs: the ocean giraffe reptile, is one of the last plesiosaur species that lived during the Cretaceous, and is also an iconic species of Morocco’s phosphates. As for Otodus Obliquus, it is thought to have been a large shark, capable of reaching lengths of over 10 meters and weights of up to 15 tons. The lot is accompanied by L-shaped acrylic display stands as a gift.

Estimate:£1.69

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