Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Welcome to my first Fossil ID Post! I bought this fossil at a Market in Johannesburg. The seller claims it to be a juvenile Mosasaur. The sediment layer seems to be derived from seabed but I am no expert. Seller claims to have retrieved the specimen from Morocco. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Clade: Platynota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 What you have is a fabricated jaw with real teeth, sorry. . Very common at fossil shows 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 1 minute ago, Troodon said: What you have is a fabricated jaw with real teeth, sorry. . Very common at trade shows Thats a bummer. What do you suppose the teeth could be? I have another tooth that looks fairly similar. Perhaps I should post a sample. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 The teeth are Mosasaur and from Morocco and someone can ID them for you. Not my expertise @LordTrilobite Here are a few at the Tucson fossil show 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamL Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Just now, Mattodon said: Thats a bummer. What do you suppose the teeth could be? I have another tooth that looks fairly similar. Perhaps I should post a sample. Real Mosasaur teeth with a fake jaws Still a cool thing. Hope it wasnt sold to you as authentic though. Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 The teeth are good enough for me. I was a child and it was suspiciously affordable. But I would never have learnt otherwise so thank you! 2 minutes ago, LiamL said: Real Mosasaur teeth with a fake jaws Still a cool thing. Hope it wasnt sold to you as authentic though. 3 minutes ago, Troodon said: The teeth are Mosasaur and someone can ID them for you. Not my expertise Here are a few at the Tucson fossil show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamL Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Here are my real and fake ones, can you tell which is which? 3 Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 8 minutes ago, LiamL said: Here are my real and fake ones, can you tell which is which? I am supposing the bottom one unless this is a trick question xD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Yup, a fake jaw with real tooth crowns. The teeth seem to be a bit of a mishmash. The ones without facets/ridges on the enamel look like they could be Prognathodon sp. and the ones with ridges, I dunno. Depending one what you want out of this, whether it be a display piece, or a real fossil, what you could do, is soak it in water. when you do that it's very likely the fake sediment and jaw will disintegrate, leaving loose real teeth. But be careful if you do this, there is a possibility that water can make the teeth more fragile, in which case, let them dry slowly and apply super glue/cyanoacrylate if anything breaks. 3 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 2 minutes ago, LordTrilobite said: Yup, a fake jaw with real tooth crowns. The teeth seem to be a bit of a mishmash. The ones without facets/ridges on the enamel look like they could be Prognathodon sp. and the ones with ridges, I dunno. Depending one what you want out of this, whether it be a display piece, or a real fossil, what you could do, is soak it in water. when you do that it's very likely the fake sediment and jaw will disintegrate, leaving loose real teeth. But be careful if you do this, there is a possibility that water can make the teeth more fragile, in which case, let them dry slowly and apply super glue/cyanoacrylate if anything breaks. I guess the display piece is meaningless if its a fake. If I pluck up the courage to do this I will inform you how it goes. Though I don't think my fellow Cape Town citizens will be too impressed with me using water to do so as we are in the middle of a drought haha. Thank you for the tip! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Another way to extract the teeth would be to do it mechanically. So get like a dental pick and carefully scrape away the sediment. Especially the lower part of the teeth can be more fragile. But when done carefully this is a perfectly good way to extract them. It just takes a little work and patience. Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 1 minute ago, LordTrilobite said: Another way to extract the teeth would be to do it mechanically. So get like a dental pick and carefully scrape away the sediment. Especially the lower part of the teeth can be more fragile. But when done carefully this is a perfectly good way to extract them. It just takes a little work and patience. Sounds a bit more my style. Ive been tempted to get those children's excavation kits for some fun but I think this will be much more interesting! So basically the sediment layer and the fake jaw can be picked away with the dental pick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Yeah, if you get something like this it shouldn't be too hard to scrape away some sediment. Khouribga sediment is generally quite soft. I'd suggest trying to start away from the teeth first to get a feel for the hardness. And when you feel more comfortable you can try to remove the sediment away around the teeth and eventually dig them out completely. Then you'll have a nice set of real mosasaur teeth with out anything fake attached to it. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 1 minute ago, LordTrilobite said: Yeah, if you get something like this it shouldn't be too hard to scrape away some sediment. Khouribga sediment is generally quite soft. I'd suggest trying to start away from the teeth first to get a feel for the hardness. I might actually have a thicker scraping pick but let me get a dental pick from the Chemist. Then I can excavate the teeth straight out. Thank you! Do you think a process post may be interesting to the community? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 2 minutes ago, Mattodon said: I might actually have a thicker scraping pick but let me get a dental pick from the Chemist. Then I can excavate the teeth straight out. Thank you! Do you think a process post may be interesting to the community? Any experience our members undertake is usually of interest to the Forum as a whole. Feel free to document your work here. We will learn alongside you as you prepare it. 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...
abyssunder Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 The teeth are real, the jaws are fake in your specimen. If you prep them out you will see they are made of different pieces of bones, some of them (if not all) having nothing to do with Mosasaur, unfortunately. " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 2 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: Any experience our members undertake is usually of interest to the Forum as a whole. Feel free to document your work here. We will learn alongside you as you prepare it. Thanks Fossil Dude! When you say 'here' do you mean in this post or just on the forum in general? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 1 minute ago, abyssunder said: The teeth are real, the jaws are fake in your specimen. If you prep them out you will see they are made of different pieces of bones, some of them (if not all) having nothing to do with Mosasaur, unfortunately. I see that there are bits of bone like structure in the fabrication. Do you think it is worth salvaging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 4 minutes ago, Mattodon said: Thanks Fossil Dude! When you say 'here' do you mean in this post or just on the forum in general? I was thinking you should start a new post in the Fossil Preparation sub-forum. 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...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 1 minute ago, Fossildude19 said: I was thinking you should start a new post in the Fossil Preparation sub-forum. This community is so supportive. I have a lot to learn! Thank you so much. I will check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 20 minutes ago, Mattodon said: Sounds a bit more my style. Ive been tempted to get those children's excavation kits for some fun but I think this will be much more interesting! So basically the sediment layer and the fake jaw can be picked away with the dental pick? I like using an Xacto knife with a pointed blade just gives me the control and sharpness I need. A pin vise also does well in these situations. If there are bone fragments nothing is associated with those teeth or have much value. Your call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 2 minutes ago, Troodon said: I like using an Xacto knife with a pointed blade just gives me the control and sharpness I need. A pin vise also does well in these situations. I may end up trying all of these suggestions just to see which works best for whichever situation. To clean the teeth up once excavated should I use the same tools or rather leave them in water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 I would avoid water as much as possible. I typically use solvent, if necessary, and mechanical means to clean teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattodon Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 1 minute ago, Troodon said: I would avoid water as much as possible. I typically use solvent, if necessary, and mechanical means to clean teeth. Gotcha. I will make a thread in the Fossil Prep section. A fun new project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 Don't worry, you are not the first and will not be the last to be duped by these fake jaws with real teeth. There are thousands of these out there, they seem to be produced here on a production line. And people keep buying them, unawares. I feel it is part of my job and the Fossil Forums to point out to purchasers and sellers what is real and what isn't. I recently explained to two sellers in Spain about their mosasaur material (and other stuff as well). Though I've been conned too, (not with mosasaurs, with trilobites, but the forum has taught me a lot, I will be harder to fool in the future). And of course it's a good idea for us to come here before we make any future purchases online. Slowly the word spreads. 2 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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