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Hi all, Usually you see these fossils in the "Is it real?" thread, but I decided to make a change. This mosasaur block contains several teeth, and I think they are real, and it is possible that the block was found as such (if you think any of it is fake/reconstructed, let me know). As usual, it's from our favorite mosasaur location Khouribga (Morocco), meaning it's from the late Cretaceous (like all mosasaurs). Now I would like to put a species (or several species) on these teeth. Here's a list I found of the different mosasaurs found in Khouribga (it may be wrong): Globidens phosphaticus (definitely not this one) Halisaurus arambourgi Halisaurus walkeri Mosasaurus hoffmani Platecarpus ptychodon Prognathodon curii Liodon anceps (?) All of them (except for Globidens) seem like possible solutions for my block. So, what species do you think it is? Maybe there are different species for the different teeth? Thanks! Max

What is the "anceps" in Prognathodon anceps? Is that the species name? I'm having a hard time finding anything online to explain other than some dealers selling some teeth on various sites. Sorry for my ignorance and thanks!

i am certain this is a prognathodon tooth a tooth of my favorite mosasaur the fossils are real but the block its self is fordged henc a otodus tooth begin in the block

I like Mosasaurs so I've been buying some cool stuff here and there for a while now. I have some loose teeth with and without roots and a few jaws. for a while now I've been noticing some interesting patterns. Or rather a single pattern that keeps showing up. I have 42 loose teeth and a number of these teeth have some wear patterns on them. Some just have some random wear here and there or tips broken or worn off of them. But a significant number of teeth have damage to the enamel on the front side of the tooth. Sometimes on the lateral side and sometimes on the labial side. Sometimes on both sides. Of these 42 teeth, 13 have significant damage to the enamel on the front. In about 8 or so the pattern is quite similar. This pattern seems almost exclusive to the large Prognathodon teeth with the only exception being a Mosasaurus beaugei? tooth that has some wear on the front. Though this tooth isn't nearly as damage on the front as the big Prognathodon teeth. This same wear pattern also shows up on a Prognathodon jaw that I'm still prepping. This jaw shows the same damage while the teeth are still mostly in the original position aside from some minor drifting. This pattern also does not show in the jaws of other mosasaur species I have. So I'm wondering is if this could possibly be as a result of some behaviour that Prognathodon might have had. Since quite a lot of the teeth show the same type of damage and it also shows in still rooted teeth. Have any of you ever seen this same pattern on mosasaur teeth? I'm wondering what your opinions are on this. My loose mosasaur teeth, one not shown. Big Prognathodon teeth at the top. Some possible Eremiasaurus teeth below them. The small recurved tooth crown on the left is Halisaurus arambourgi. Below it two small Platecarpus ptychodon teeth. Under those two badly crushed teeth. Lower left middle Mosasaurus teeth, some probably M. beaugei and some M. hoffmanni. Globidens teeth at the bottom. Prognathodon, Mosasaurus and Globidens rooted teeth on the left. Teeth with damage on the front. Only three that aren't Prognathodon at the bottom. Detail of a Prognathodon tooth. Prognathodon jaw with the same type of enamel damage on three teeth. The teeth towards the front are too damage during the fossilisation to tell if they have similar damage.

I was hoping some of our Mosasaur experts (@LordTrilobite @jnoun11) could lend me their opinion on the following Mosasaur from Morocco I want to purchase. I was told it is Prognathodon, agree?

Maastricht Natural History Museum Mosasaur central This charming little museum in a historic city is absolutely worth a visit if you have any interest in the latest Cretaceous and Mosasaurs. The city of Maastricht was founded by the ancient Romans along the Meuse (Mosa in Latin, Maas in Dutch) river. The animals we know as Mosasaurs are named after this river. The great lizard of the Meuse. Near the city are deposits of the latest Cretaceous, the Maastrichtian, which is named after the city. There are several quarries that produce a lot of fossils. In the same procince to the north of Maastricht there is another fossil location that lends it's name to a geologic age. The tiglien, which is during the lower Pleistocene, named after Tegelen. Part of the old roman city wall nearby. This museum also used to house the holotype of the original Mosasaur. Mosasaurus hoffmanni. Sadly it was taken as the spoils of war by Napoleon's army. Today the holotype is located in the Paris Museum of Natural History. So now there is only a cast of the holotype in the museum. This small glass enclosed area in the garden houses the holotype of Prognathodon saturator which is nicknamed Bér. The specimen consists of an mostly complete skull and a partial skeleton and was found near Maastricht. There are a number of articulated thoracic vertebrae, some limb elements and some other loose elements. Along with the mosasaur skeleton there were a lot of shark teeth (Squalicorax and others) found associated with it that suggests that the carcass was scavenged by sharks and other opportunists before being covered. I suggest viewing this on a cloudy day because the reflections on the glass can sometimes make it hard to see as well. Though the main attractions are the Cretaceous and Pleistocene fossils. There are also a few other cool things. An early relative of the Horseshoe Crab. A primitive spider.

An article for anyone interested in the lifestyle of mosasaurs...... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/130910-mosasaur-sea-monster-reptile-tail-ocean-science/ Mosasaurs are usually depicted as having tapering tails like modern lizards, but the fossil of Prognathodon from Jordan shows that mosasaurs had a tail fin like modern day sharks. This discovery may have to force dino-artists to depict mosasaurs with shark-like fins, and it also reminds me of another study (http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/sep/01/mosasaur-evolution-dinosaurs) showing that the plioplatecarpine Platecarpus had a tail supporting a fin like that of ichthyosaurs and metriorhynchids.