Classic Mosasaur Jaw - real/fake?

[Fofofossil]

Hi all,

 

I’m new here, hello. Whilst I’ve purchased the odd small fossil and gemstone etc I’m very much a novice so bear with me. I’ve come across this Mosasaur Jaw. I know these are widely faked so I’m already sceptical but wanted your expert opinions too. The seller says it is genuine and not composite. Pictures attached. My thoughts here, it’s all I’ve got!

 

- It’s big, much bigger than most fakes that that are much smaller (read easier to distribute/post).

- partially exploded, and a random shark tooth in the matrix too.

- Some small, baby? Teeth seem to show under the main teeth but I’ve no idea if these are to be expected.

 

look forward to your comments!

[LordTrilobite]

It looks pretty good for the most part.

 

The lighting in the photos could be a bit better. So I cannot properly judge all of the teeth.

The jaw itself seems to be real. As you say, it has the exploded look. This is what is common on real jaws and not on fake ones where it's normally much too neat. It looks like a lower right jaw. We're looking at the inside of the jaw.

The teeth themselves seem consistent and the second photo is a nice closeup of the joins of the teeth. The roots look to be real and are firmly seated in the jaw, which is good. There are also a bunch of replacement teeth that would be harder to fake. I cannot tell for sure in this photo but the join of the tooth on the right looks a tiny bit off. I'd say 90% likelihood that that tooth is original. If that's faked, it's a very good one. In the last photo we see that small tooth you mention. This might be a pterygoid tooth. Mosasaurs have an extra set of upper jaws inside their mouths with smaller teeth. Directly behind this small tooth we see another tooth attached to a root. If any, this tooth looks the most like it might have been tampered with. It doesn't completely seem to fit in with the other teeth.

 

 

So overall the jaw looks to be real. But one or two teeth might have been added. To be a bit more conclusive I think better photos are needed.

If the teeth are original then this looks like it's a Prognathodon sp.

[HamptonsDoc]

The really small teeth coming up from the sockets under the large teeth are unerupted teeth. Think of it as adult teeth coming up in humans and pushing out the baby teeth. Mosasaurs would constantly replace their teeth many times over throughout their life and this is evidence of that. 
 

I’m not a Mosasaur expert so I can’t give you an educated opinion on its validity but LordTrilobite tends to know what he’s talking about when it comes to these!

[Bguild]

Looks real. I’m not seeing signs of composited teeth either.

[Aurelius]

I think it's real. It's been for sale for *ages*. 

[Pterygotus]

I agree that it looks real. It’s still in its plaster jacket !

[Notidanodon]

Very nice one imo

[Ruger9a]

Love to have it in my collection...…...

[Pemphix]

20 hours ago, Pterygotus said:

It’s still in its plaster jacket !

Unfortunately, this is not a sign of authenticity, cause this is used often to give composites or fakes a "serious" look....

[Pterygotus]

1 hour ago, Pemphix said:

Unfortunately, this is not a sign of authenticity, cause this is used often to give composites or fakes a "serious" look....

These fakers are really smart! 

[Fishkeeper]

It's a really cool piece. If the price is right, IMO you should grab it. Even if a couple of teeth may have been added (or perhaps were broken off and added back on?), the rest of it looks really cool.