dashdillo Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Hi everyone! I purchased this "Mosasaurus Skull" about a year ago. I'm certain that it's fake, but I was curious as to how bad of a fake it was (to humor me) and what kind of teeth these are. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterpillar Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Totally fake. You can just recover the teeth 2 http://www.paleotheque.fr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Indeed. A total work of art made out of matrix and glue. The isolated teeth are mosasaur which are quite commonly found in Morocco. For reference: https://www.google.com/search?q=mosasaur+skull&tbm=isch Cheers. -Ken 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Yup, there's nothing real about this skull, even if it would have been sold for crocodile, which it has been modeled after. The teeth, however, are authentic, as has been noted, with most belonging to Gavialimimus almaghribensis - which, in a way, is ironic/shows a sense of humor in the forger, since the name of this animal implies it mimics a crocodilian 2 3 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...
LabRatKing Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 A work of art for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleorunner Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 This is an exceptional discovery, a new species, the result of papa Mosasaurus, and mama Crocodile...... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 43 minutes ago, LabRatKing said: A work of art for sure. Indeed. If you wished to give this "skull" a name, you could call him "Art". Good to know the validity of what's real and what's not on this piece. Still, makes for an interesting conversation piece. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 8 minutes ago, digit said: Indeed. If you wished to give this "skull" a name, you could call him "Art". Good to know the validity of what's real and what's not on this piece. Still, makes for an interesting conversation piece. Cheers. -Ken If the price was right, I’d display it. Is a fine bit of work for those that buy fossils as a decoration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 (edited) I don’t think there are any good fakes, as they are all made to deceive but I really like it as a fun sculpture . I would add it to my wunderkammer display . it has a nice sharp smile . Edited January 17, 2022 by Bobby Rico 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleorunner Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 I also see it, it is a curious piece for decoration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phos_01 Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 A Shame Mosasaurs teeth were glued to this fabrications, I would recover teeth and throw away the whole thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 I chuckled aloud when I saw this... they sold this as a mosasaur skull... but wait, it looks like a crocodile. Can't even fake correctly. Eyes rolling. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 Very common item sold at the Tucson Fossil show. An incredible number are sold yearly, a travesty. Lets see whats at show un a couple of weeks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 1 hour ago, jpc said: I chuckled aloud when I saw this... they sold this as a mosasaur skull... but wait, it looks like a crocodile. Can't even fake correctly. Eyes rolling. It's a veritable Mosasauromimus maroccensis! 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...
Bobby Rico Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 1 hour ago, jpc said: I chuckled aloud when I saw this... they sold this as a mosasaur skull... but wait, it looks like a crocodile. Can't even fake correctly. Eyes rolling. I doubt it was made to look like a mosasaur skull but more likely a crocodile . Somebody probably said they are Mosasaur teeth to the seller so they thought best to sell as one. I never been the Tucson show but I do wonder how this sort of fakery is permitted to be sold. I am sure at a fashion show you can’t buy knock offs sneakers . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theroroth Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 Shame this was sold as a fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 7 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said: I never been the Tucson show but I do wonder how this sort of fakery is permitted to be sold. I am sure at a fashion show you can’t buy knock offs sneakers . Unfortunately it's the reality of many such shows that the lines between repairs, restoration, reconstructions and fabrications are very blurry. There's simply a not-insignificant market segment that likes to buy fossils that look the part, even if they aren't. This of course doesn't mean it goes so far as selling a fabricated crocodile skull for mosasaur, but Moroccan fossils are in a class of their own with that respect... And it's one that, more than any other, seems to attract inexperienced people looking for a beautiful decorative piece that they can believe is at least partially authentic, lacking the experience even to know that authentic pieces like this are exceedingly rare in the fossil record and therefore often demand very high prices. I guess it's just wanting to own a piece of history, as most of us do, without realising that history is preserved imperfectly, yet even imperfect pieces are rare... Of course this could be interpreted as scamming if the buyer is not informed (and I wonder whether they are on these fairs). But the right of these pieces to be presented at fossil fairs rests on them actually officially being classed as works of art in much the same way as are casts and replicas. Such is the nature of art - which I'd like to argue is mostly what these fairs are about, notwithstanding evidence from the contrary 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...
Troodon Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 1 hour ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said: Unfortunately it's the reality of many such shows that the lines between repairs, restoration, reconstructions and fabrications are very blurry. There's simply a not-insignificant market segment that likes to buy fossils that look the part, even if they aren't. This of course doesn't mean it goes so far as selling a fabricated crocodile skull for mosasaur, but Moroccan fossils are in a class of their own with that respect... And it's one that, more than any other, seems to attract inexperienced people looking for a beautiful decorative piece that they can believe is at least partially authentic, lacking the experience even to know that authentic pieces like this are exceedingly rare in the fossil record and therefore often demand very high prices. I guess it's just wanting to own a piece of history, as most of us do, without realising that history is preserved imperfectly, yet even imperfect pieces are rare... Of course this could be interpreted as scamming if the buyer is not informed (and I wonder whether they are on these fairs). But the right of these pieces to be presented at fossil fairs rests on them actually officially being classed as works of art in much the same way as are casts and replicas. Such is the nature of art - which I'd like to argue is mostly what these fairs are about, notwithstanding evidence from the contrary Unfortunately my experience at these shows says that the Moroccan tent sellers know exactly what they have and are not totally upfront in what is being sold, this specimen would be a Croc Skull. The sad part is that I've overheard buyers talking with sellers also knowing exactly what they buying including all the fake trilobites, etc..all about $$$$ "Caveat emptor" 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praefectus Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 I like how the teeth get bigger towards the front. Why is the first tooth gigantic compared to the rest? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 50 minutes ago, Praefectus said: I like how the teeth get bigger towards the front. Why is the first tooth gigantic compared to the rest? Talk about a snaggle toothed smile! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, Troodon said: The sad part is that I've overheard buyers talking with sellers also knowing exactly what they buying including all the fake trilobites, etc..all about $$$$ "Caveat emptor" Morning Frank, I always wondered when you shown us photographs of the Moroccan Tents at the Tucson Show. That the fact that they have tables full of Croc skull, turtles skull and trilobites all looking very similar, why does this not put up red flags in perspective buys? You answered this , they know exactly what they are purchasing cheep stock for their rock/souvenir shops. I sadly imagine then they are sold on as genuine fossils. Buyer Beware indeed. cheers Bobby Edited January 20, 2022 by Bobby Rico 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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