Morocco croc

[Sizev_McJol]

Saw this at a local shop. Lady said it was a croc from Morocco. Any thoughts on the species?

[Sizev_McJol]

[Haravex]

It's from morocco for sure but it's a fake by the looks of it maybe the teeth are real avoid this piece.

[piranha]

I know absolutely nothing about crocodiles, but I would call it: Toothosuchus sp. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yes, a very poor fake. 

The teeth are real but have been very badly glued onto fake head. 

[Sizev_McJol]

8 minutes ago, Haravex said:

It's from morocco for sure but it's a fake by the looks of it maybe the teeth are real avoid this piece.

I’m not crazy! Thank you! I saw the teeth and thought “those are real but... are they glued??” I examined the bone and thought “this looks too good, too right.” There are horizontal lines running the length of the skull as if carved that way. 

 

What is with Morocco and fake fossils? Especially their trilobites. It’s so frustrating. All the fossils at this shop are from Morocco, and so now I look at every ammonite and nautiloid with suspicion. 

[piranha]

1 minute ago, Sizev_McJol said:

What is with Morocco and fake fossils? Especially their trilobites. It’s so frustrating...

 

 

Fake fossils are all over the global map.  China and Morocco are the worst offenders.  Knowledge is power, caveat emptor!

[Tidgy's Dad]

There are lots of people who want these fossils and Morocco is a country loaded with things people want and has no implemented laws on the sale or export of these items, unlike many other places. There are thousands of unwanted croc teeth lying around, so this is a way to get rid of them. 

The ammonites are real, though they've had 'improvements' made to the central whorls, the goniatites are real, the scorpion in amber is a horrid thing and very fake, the plants are real, but not Moroccan, I don't think and the trilobites in the box, bottom right, are probably mostly if not entirely real. 

[jpenn]

6 hours ago, Sizev_McJol said:

 I examined the bone and thought “this looks too good, too right.”

 

 

But it's not really right at all. Crocodile skull bones usually exhibit a distinctive pitted texture that the fake-o-suchus in the original post doesn't have. There are genuine Moroccan crocodile/crocodlyomorph skulls and mandibles out there but they should exhibit that pitted texture. Plus the anatomy of that fake skull is quite incorrect especially in the posterior half and the teeth are oversized and incorrectly oriented but it's really that pitted texture you might want to recognize first when evaluating a croc skull.

[indominus rex]

The teeth of this "crocodile" are real but are actually mosasaur teeth and the skull of the crocodile is completely fake.

[RJB]

If you meant for us to have a good laugh, it worked. 

 

RB

[Sizev_McJol]

5 hours ago, jpenn said:

But it's not really right at all. Crocodile skull bones usually exhibit a distinctive pitted texture that the fake-o-suchus in the original post doesn't have. There are genuine Moroccan crocodile/crocodlyomorph skulls and mandibles out there but they should exhibit that pitted texture. Plus the anatomy of that fake skull is quite incorrect especially in the posterior half and the teeth are oversized and incorrectly oriented but it's really that pitted texture you might want to recognize first when evaluating a croc skull.

Sorry I should I been more specific. I meant it was “too right” in the sense of “this is exactly what someone would want to find but almost never does, and yet there are TWO of these skulls and they’re virtually identical. What are the chances?”  

 

2 hours ago, indominus rex said:

The teeth of this "crocodile" are real but are actually mosasaur teeth and the skull of the crocodile is completely fake.

I suspected those were mosasaur teeth; thanks for the confirmation. 

 

Im going to post one or two other pics from this shop today if I can to confirm my suspicion of fakes. One of them is a giant nautiloid I don’t recognize that is covered in tiny spikes which to me seem way to pointed and sharp to be a weathered fossil. 

[caldigger]

These things are constructed by individuals that likely have never seen an actual croc skull and are going off of a prototype model that was presented to them to copy over an over and over again, all with the incorrect anatomy.

Don't blame the factory worker, he was just trying to make a living.

Let's just blame Adam since he lives in Morocco and I'm pretty sure he's the kingpin behind all the fakes coming out of there. 

[indominus rex]

8 minutes ago, Sizev_McJol said:

Sorry I should I been more specific. I meant it was “too right” in the sense of “this is exactly what someone would want to find but almost never does, and yet there are TWO of these skulls and they’re virtually identical. What are the chances?”  

 

I suspected those were mosasaur teeth; thanks for the confirmation. 

 

Im going to post one or two other pics from this shop today if I can to confirm my suspicion of fakes. One of them is a giant nautiloid I don’t recognize that is covered in tiny spikes which to me seem way to pointed and sharp to be a weathered fossil. 

Here are some more images of these bad fakes that have mosasaur teeth. And the worst part is that a lot of people are unaware that these "fossil crocodile skulls" are fake and pay a few hundred dollars for some mosasaur teeth attached to a worthless fake. And the worst part is that they are everywhere.

[Nimravis]

8 minutes ago, caldigger said:

These things are constructed by individuals that likely have never seen an actual croc skull and are going off of a prototype model that was presented to them to copy over an over and over again, all with the incorrect anatomy.

Don't blame the factory worker, he was just trying to make a living.

Let's just blame Adam since he lives in Morocco and I'm pretty sure he's the kingpin behind all the fakes coming out of there. 

Yea @Tidgy's Dad , or should I call you “The Fossil Godfather “ ? I think Doren is right. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

17 minutes ago, caldigger said:

These things are constructed by individuals that likely have never seen an actual croc skull and are going off of a prototype model that was presented to them to copy over an over and over again, all with the incorrect anatomy.

Don't blame the factory worker, he was just trying to make a living.

Let's just blame Adam since he lives in Morocco and I'm pretty sure he's the kingpin behind all the fakes coming out of there. 

 

5 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

Yea @Tidgy's Dad , or should I call you “The Fossil Godfather “ ? I think Doren is right. 

I admit nothing. 

I think maybe I may need to arrange a couple of permanent silences though. 

[caldigger]

7 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

 

I admit nothing. 

I think maybe I may need to arrange a couple of permanent silences though. 

Oh yeah?!  You and what camel?!!!

[Tidgy's Dad]

2 minutes ago, caldigger said:

Oh yeah?!  You and what camel?!!!

[caldigger]

Touche' my friend, touche'

[Kane]

The plant fossils look like St Clair ferns from the Llewellyn Formation (Pennsylvanian), possibly Neuropteris. At least with those you can buy with confidence that they are, indeed, real.  

[Sizev_McJol]

14 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

LOL oh my, that is gold! 

 

Can you tell me, good sir, how to spot a fake trilobite, such as the very elaborate ones that come out of Morocco? I’m going to a fossil shop later today that sells such critters and I am curious if there are any tell-tale signs to look for?

[Tidgy's Dad]

This is a pretty good guide : https://www.paleodirect.com/fake-trilobites-how-to-identify/

Watch out especially for added on spines and cemented together pieces, air bubbles in resin copies. 

With some of the Devonian ones, eye detail can help tell you it's real and look for a crack through the middle of the back of the rock. Most of the real ones are broken in half, the location and attitude established and then the fossil glued back together before prepping. So the break through the middle can actually suggest it might be real. 

Repairs are common and not a problem, but watch out for restoration and reproductions. 

[amon81]

Yes, it's fake..

[Sizev_McJol]

3 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

This is a pretty good guide : https://www.paleodirect.com/fake-trilobites-how-to-identify/

Watch out especially for added on spines and cemented together pieces, air bubbles in resin copies. 

With some of the Devonian ones, eye detail can help tell you it's real and look for a crack through the middle of the back of the rock. Most of the real ones are broken in half, the location and attitude established and then the fossil glued back together before prepping. So the break through the middle can actually suggest it might be real. 

Repairs are common and not a problem, but watch out for restoration and reproductions. 

Thank you for the info! If I may enlisate your aid one more time, I’ve got some paradoxides photos I’d reallly appreciate if you took a look at. I did read over the info on paradoxidae in the article, but I want to be sure because I’m still new to identifying fake trilobites. 

[Sizev_McJol]