Still_human Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 (edited) Something that comes up for me now and again(like right now), is when someone is selling a fossil of something that is extremely rare, or maybe BEYOND extremely rare. Is there an easy place to check that kinda stuff? Find out if fossils are being found of them? Specifically Ive seen sarchosuchus teeth and scutes for sale, but as far as I know, only 1 specimen has ever been found, and that was only the skull, and....I dunno, maybe a few verts or something. Even if a number more have been found, like a dozen individuals or something, there's really no way you would ever find something like that for sale would you? And if you did, it would HAVE to be in the hundreds of thousands or millions, or something? Edited June 5, 2018 by Still_human Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Consulting the relevant academic literature is perhaps the best way to confirm the relative scarcity, and current knowledge about, various fossil species. If a particular species is reported only in a few study fragments, and the seller's item purports to be a full or near-complete example of that species, it is highly improbable that the claim by the seller is true. ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Harvey Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 To my knowledge Sarcosuchus is only known from Niger. Large crocodyliformes from Morocco are normally assigned to the genus Elosuchus. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bguild Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 I believe a number of Sarchosuchus skeletons have been found including a half complete skeleton with skull found by Paul Sereno. Isolated teeth and scutes are fairly common so you find these for sale. It's similar to how there have only been a handful of associated Spinosaurus remains found, but teeth are a dime a dozen online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 16 minutes ago, W. Harvey said: To my knowledge Sarcosuchus is only known from Niger. Large crocodyliformes from Morocco are normally assigned to the genus Elosuchus. This. If it's from Morocco, it's not Sarcosuchus. But Elosuchus, it's relative, also got really big and it's parts are very often sold as Sarcosuchus. 3 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigantoraptor Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Sarchosuchus is not described in Morocco, only in Niger, where also other huge crocodiles are found. Teeth or scutes are sometimes hard to ID properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpenn Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 This scute does resemble ones referred to Elosuchus in Elosuchus, a new genus of crocodile from the Lower Cretaceous of the North of Africa(2002) in general form and size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still_human Posted June 9, 2018 Author Share Posted June 9, 2018 Seems like elosuchus teeth r a dime a dozen, too! and thank you, that was a question I had but had forgotten about-the spinosaurus lack of skeletons/fossils, but excessive teeth. so sadly it sounds like there's not really any tricks/ways to tell a sarchosuchus tooth/scute, unless u know where it came from? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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