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Red flag on Mosasaur skulls


Aurelius

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Just a quick note to be careful when buying Mosasaur skulls. I know that this particular specimen may look incredibly convincing, but read on.

 

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This is clearly one of the most impressive skulls ever to have come onto the market. Indeed, the seller believes it to be worth $6,500 and describes it as 'museum quality'.

 

I immediately recognised that this must be a new species. A careful, scientific examination of the photographs revealed that this animal had incredibly wide eyes, and a bone structure entirely unknown to science. Obviously this is a very rare find, and I immediately took steps to remortgage my home to secure the purchase of this remarkable animal.

 

However, I had gotten as far as drawing a life-restoration of this creature (below) to include with my scientific paper describing this new specimen, when I began to have my doubts. 

 

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Artist's reconstruction

 

Firstly, the fact that the skull was clearly cobbled together from lumps of modern bone, sand and glue began to ring alarm bells with me. I am very astute, and my trained senses told me that an animal would be unlikely to evolve in such a way.

Secondly, the fact that the surfaces were all flat and appeared to be almost two-dimensional, and that the whole thing was clearly rubbish, clued me in that all was not as it seemed. I'm thankful that my superior fossil know-how prevented me from buying a dud.

 

On the plus side, the verts look like they might be real marine reptile, as are the crowns of course, which makes the $200 starting bid a bit easier to swallow. 

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This is the exact picture you need to present to your peers in the scientific community to get it recognized as a new species.

I'm sure they will take you quite seriously and name it after you post haist.

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2 hours ago, caldigger said:

20180122_123225.png

This is the exact picture you need to present to your peers in the scientific community to get it recognized as a new species.

I'm sure they will take you quite seriously and name it after you post haist.

 

Thank you. I don't want to blow up my own horn, but I am widely known as a highly-skilled illustrator. It's only a matter of time before you start seeing me crop up in Nature or National Geographic.

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7 hours ago, Dave (POM) Allen said:

26904309_10156540663987784_5583752499847

 

It's funny... among all the fakes there seem to be one or two genuine pieces. I dearly wish I could go to a show like this!

 

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Thanks for sharing the pictures and your thoughts.

A good word of caution to be aware of the fakes out there.

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Wow, I wouldn't have spotted that! 

Lucky you're so experienced! 

Actually, I can probably make, er, I mean find, several others that look pretty much like this, or better if you want, for a slightly better price. 

Now, where's my glue?  

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At our favorite auction site there are thousands of these jaws with prices ranging from US $19.99 to US $150.00 (a real bargain:)) :headscratch:. I watched a documentary that Morocco is the richest country in the world in Mosasaur jaws, and that in Morocco are about 8 jaws found per square meter...

 

:hearty-laugh:

 

 

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Is It real, or it's not real, that's the question!

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Yup, it is true. 

We will be able to find as many as people wish to buy. 

(though it is probably one of the richest places for real ones as well.) 

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Tortoise Friend.

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9 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Yup, it is true. 

We will be able to find as many as people wish to buy. 

(though it is probably one of the richest places for real ones as well.) 

 

This is true ... I myself have no doubt that it is probably the richest country in the world for the real ones ... I myself, with great pride, have a that is deposited in my private collection:

 

image.png.393e6e2a530262d85a5260ef6abe1036.png

 

And I also won entirely free and of gift the reconstitution paleoartistic of my friend Lordtrilobite... :)

 

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Is It real, or it's not real, that's the question!

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1 minute ago, Seguidora-de-Isis said:

 

This is true ... I myself have no doubt that it is probably the richest country in the world for the real ones ... I myself, with great pride, have a that is deposited in my private collection:

 

image.png.393e6e2a530262d85a5260ef6abe1036.png

 

And I also won entirely free and of gift the reconstitution paleoartistic of my friend Lordtrilobite... :)

 

Nice! And certainly real! 

And the reconstruction, too

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5 hours ago, Seguidora-de-Isis said:

 

This is true ... I myself have no doubt that it is probably the richest country in the world for the real ones ... I myself, with great pride, have a that is deposited in my private collection:

 

image.png.393e6e2a530262d85a5260ef6abe1036.png

 

And I also won entirely free and of gift the reconstitution paleoartistic of my friend Lordtrilobite... :)

 

 

I do like that one, it's one that got away from me :) I recently reached a point where I can't fit any more jaws in my house. Time to move!

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8 minutes ago, Aurelius said:

 

I do like that one, it's one that got away from me :) I recently reached a point where I can't fit any more jaws in my house. Time to move!

 

I'm glad it escaped you, did not I? Leave some legitimate jaws on the market for those who do not have any :)!

 

:hearty-laugh:

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On 1/22/2018 at 10:13 PM, Dave (POM) Allen said:

26904309_10156540663987784_5583752499847

I find it absolutely hilarious that at this point people are going as far as using enchodus teeth for "mosasaur jaws", obviously they must be mosasaur fossils despite containing absolutely nothing from a mosasaur! :rofl:

This also reminds me about that time when I was in the Thanksgiving Point Museum of Ancient Life, they apparently sold those enchodus toothed composites for 90 dollars. Wow.

If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM!

 

 

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