CXj321 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 I bought this mosasaur tooth from a gift shop for a really cheap price, is it fake? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhiggi Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 2 hours ago, CXj321 said: I bought this mosasaur tooth from a gift shop for a really cheap price, is it fake? Looks the wrong shape; too long and thin, but I’m not an expert. Looks more like the plesiosaur tooth in my daughter’s collection. Wait for expert opinion though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Moved to IS IT REAL. More images of both sides from directly above the tooth will help with ID. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praefectus Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 It is real. Moroccan mosasaur teeth are mined out at an industrial scale in the phosphate mines near Oued Zem, Morocco. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReptileTooth Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 It appears to have been glued or at least repaired in the middle, pictures of different angles may help more. "The baneful Dragons, O Seas, are gone: Fiends, 0 Earth, have filled thee with the bones of Defeat and Death." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macrophyseter Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 I would agree that the tooth is a real fossil. Like Praefectus said, mosasaur teeth are commonly mined and exported from Moroccan phosphate mines, with a lot of variation given that there are a number of mosasaur fauna present in the deposits the mines operate. IMO, with the comments on repairment made by the above posters, the worst authenticity scenario would be that the tooth is a composite, meaning that it is just a bunch of random fossils glued together as if they were a single individual specimen. These are normally common in commercial fossil jaws and skulls (where teeth are plastered together with random bone fossils), but I know some sources that sell composites of small teeth. If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Yes, this is a real mosasaur tooth. Probably an anterior tooth (so, towards the front of the mouth) from a Prognathodon sp. or possibly Halisaurus. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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