fossil_lover_2277 Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 (edited) Hi all, I saw this mosasaur skull online for sale, curious...is it the real deal, or a fake? It’s from Morocco. I think it’s real best as I can tell, but I’m sure there are some good fakes out there, and I don’t know how to tell for sure without using a microscope...really need some help on this one. **update: I bid on it and won, so I hope it’s real..pretty sure it is.. Edited October 16, 2021 by Lando_Calrissian_4tw 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent_Zigzag Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 Greetings! It seems like the pictures you post are screenshots from a video...... My personal suggestion would be accquiring high-resolution pictures from the seller with more focus on details. It seems like this specimen prserved the premaxilla and part of the nasal with maxilla, that part looks suspecious to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 It seems to be only a lower jaw of a Halisaurine. But the front and back of the jaw seem to be facing each other. I don't think any part of the upper skull is present here. It looks mostly real. It's a bit broken up but the anatomy all seems to be in order. Although there does seem to be some filling of the matrix. Perhaps this was done for stability or aesthetic reasons. Or if you're unlucky there could be some shenanigans going on. So I think it has been altered, but I don't see any obvious red flags that it's a composite. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_ Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon this is definitely your wheelhouse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 I largely agree with what Olof said: the left part of the block contains what looks to me to be the left mandible of a halisaurine mosasaur, albeit heavily broken up... It's also appears to me that the upper part of the back of that jaw has been inverted, showing the inside rather than the outside, as with the rest of the jaw. I have no idea what's going on on the right, but don't see any recognizable bones... My verdict would be that the piece has been tampered with, to unknown extent; much of the bone is unidentifiable; and that most, if not all, of the bones are broken. I'd hold out for a better piece... 1 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil_lover_2277 Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 (edited) 3 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said: I largely agree with what Olof said: the left part of the block contains what looks to me to be the left mandible of a halisaurine mosasaur, albeit heavily broken up... It's also appears to me that the upper part of the back of that jaw has been inverted, showing the inside rather than the outside, as with the rest of the jaw. I have no idea what's going on on the right, but don't see any recognizable bones... My verdict would be that the piece has been tampered with, to unknown extent; much of the bone is unidentifiable; and that most, if not all, of the bones are broken. I'd hold out for a better piece... Good to know, they don’t have my money yet, and it’s advertised as a skull, not a jaw bone, so they won’t be getting my money. THANK YOU Edited October 16, 2021 by Lando_Calrissian_4tw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil_lover_2277 Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 12 hours ago, Agent_Zigzag said: Greetings! It seems like the pictures you post are screenshots from a video...... My personal suggestion would be accquiring high-resolution pictures from the seller with more focus on details. It seems like this specimen prserved the premaxilla and part of the nasal with maxilla, that part looks suspecious to me. 10 hours ago, LordTrilobite said: It seems to be only a lower jaw of a Halisaurine. But the front and back of the jaw seem to be facing each other. I don't think any part of the upper skull is present here. It looks mostly real. It's a bit broken up but the anatomy all seems to be in order. Although there does seem to be some filling of the matrix. Perhaps this was done for stability or aesthetic reasons. Or if you're unlucky there could be some shenanigans going on. So I think it has been altered, but I don't see any obvious red flags that it's a composite. 9 hours ago, Gareth_ said: @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon this is definitely your wheelhouse! 6 hours ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said: I largely agree with what Olof said: the left part of the block contains what looks to me to be the left mandible of a halisaurine mosasaur, albeit heavily broken up... It's also appears to me that the upper part of the back of that jaw has been inverted, showing the inside rather than the outside, as with the rest of the jaw. I have no idea what's going on on the right, but don't see any recognizable bones... My verdict would be that the piece has been tampered with, to unknown extent; much of the bone is unidentifiable; and that most, if not all, of the bones are broken. I'd hold out for a better piece... Thank you all, you saved me a lot of money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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