Moroccan Abelisaurid Described

[Troodon]

For those collectors that love Moroccan dinosaur material I have some good news and some not so good news.   The good news  is that we finally have an Abelsaurid described from Morocco its called Chenanisaurus barbaricus .  The not so good news  is that its NOT from the Kem Kem Beds but from the Maastrichtian Phosphate Mines in the Ouled Abdoun basin.   .

 

I reported about this theropod back in 2015 and a jaw, with teeth, was subsequently found which enabled paleontologists to describe this new species.  This is what is lacking in the Kem Kem Beds.   We should have a march in Morocco to protest lack of Jaws....

 

 

Two teeth from my collection  

 

 

 

Now that we have a name I raise the red flag with all collectors to be cautious of individuals trying to sell Carcharodontosaurus teeth from Kem Kem as this species.   The best way insure your getting the correct locality is to have it on a matrix slab.   Phosphate matrix is very different than the Kem Kem's.  These teeth have been quite rare and I acquired the only two I've seen but now we have a name that always seems to attract entrepreneurs in Morocco  .

 

Dentary teeth should follow typical Abelsaurid morphology with the distal side being very perpendicular to the base. 

 

Paper:

An abelisaurid from the latest Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) of Morocco, North Africa

Nicholas R. Longrich, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola, Nour-Eddine Jalil, Fatima Khaldoune, Essaid Jourani

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667116303706

[Susan from PA]

Thanks so much for sharing, Troodon! That's fantastic news that an actual jaw was found, leading to the description of a new dinosaur!  Unfortunately, it's not in the Kem Kem, but at least you'll be able to put a species name on these teeth in your collection.  

 

I suspect we'll see some teeth having this identification sooner than we think.  Buyer beware indeed!  

[LordTrilobite]

Thanks for sharing indeed.

 

It should be intersting to compare Kem Kem Abelisaurid teeth with these Maastrichtian Abelisaur teeth and the Abelisaur teeth from Niger and see which is the closer match.

[Troodon]

12 minutes ago, LordTrilobite said:

Thanks for sharing indeed.

 

It should be intersting to compare Kem Kem Abelisaurid teeth with these Maastrichtian Abelisaur teeth and the Abelisaur teeth from Niger and see which is the closer match.

 

The Abelisaurid indet. teeth we see from the Kem Kem are much smaller and may just reflect a small to mid size animal like Rugops.  Have not seen large Abelisaurid teeth not to say they dont exists.

[sseth]

I was lucky enough to come across a very similar tooth a few years ago while prepping a mosasaur skull.  This tooth comes from the 3rd layer in the phosphates.  It looks very similar to those described in the paper.  When I first uncovered this gut I assumes shark tooth and then as I worked my way carefully around it I realized it was serrated and was actually from a small therapod.  Since I found it I believed it to be Abelisaurid innature.  The serrations on mine look slightly larger and not as uniform as those described, but still very similar.

[Troodon]

Nice is it a premax

[sseth]

26 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Nice is it a premax

It is.  Good eye.

[zekky]

I think this might be one. The only local data I got was Morocco. 

[Troodon]

 An abelisaurid but the color looks like Kem Kem not the phosphates of the Ouled basin. The reds are Kem Kem. 

[LordTrilobite]

I agree with Troodon. There are some red pebbles stuck to the base of that tooth. Definitely looks like Kem Kem Beds.

 

Stuff from Khouribga/Phosphate basin is all beige or greyish.

[hxmendoza]

On 3/28/2017 at 9:27 AM, Troodon said:

For those collectors that love Moroccan dinosaur material I have some good news and some not so good news.   The good news  is that we finally have an Abelsaurid described from Morocco its called Chenanisaurus barbaricus .  The not so good news  is that its NOT from the Kem Kem Beds but from the Maastrichtian Phosphate Mines in the Ouled Abdoun basin.   .

 

I reported about this theropod back in 2015 and a jaw, with teeth, was subsequently found which enabled paleontologists to describe this new species.  This is what is lacking in the Kem Kem Beds.   We should have a march in Morocco to protest lack of Jaws....

 

 

Two teeth from my collection  

 

 

 

Now that we have a name I raise the red flag with all collectors to be cautious of individuals trying to sell Carcharodontosaurus teeth from Kem Kem as this species.   The best way insure your getting the correct locality is to have it on a matrix slab.   Phosphate matrix is very different than the Kem Kem's.  These teeth have been quite rare and I acquired the only two I've seen but now we have a name that always seems to attract entrepreneurs in Morocco  .

 

Dentary teeth should follow typical Abelsaurid morphology with the distal side being very perpendicular to the base. 

 

Paper:

An abelisaurid from the latest Cretaceous (late Maastrichtian) of Morocco, North Africa

Nicholas R. Longrich, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola, Nour-Eddine Jalil, Fatima Khaldoune, Essaid Jourani

 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667116303706

Gorgeous teeth Troodon! Thanks for sharing.

[Troodon]

Thanks @hxmendoza. Morocco can produce some beautiful teeth