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Spinosaurus or Crocodilian jaw?


talon22

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Hi, wanted to ask for opinions about the identification of this partial jaw, offered to me as a Spinosaurus jaw (or Spinosaurid), but unsure on how to tell the difference between a spinosaurid jaw and a crocodilian jaw. Thanks.

 

image.thumb.png.803d082d9f523cedbb006219ae1be51a.png

image.thumb.png.a887f557f7a55f57700b7252b3864094.png

 

 

 

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I suppose this jaw is from Kem Kem; it has exactly the same type of sediments. 

 

Here are some of the Kem Kem experts:

@LordTrilobite @Troodon @Haravex

 

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Generally when we see these kinds of topics, it often turns out to be croc. But this one does look like it might be Spinosaurid lower jaw.

One thing that is typical of Spinosaurus lower jaw is the lip on the side of the teeth. Some crocs also have this feature but it's less pronounced on those animals. So right now I would lean towards Spinosaur, but it needs to be cleaned to tell for sure.

 

Some reference for Spinosaurus aegyptiacus:

The holotype

Stromer1915SpinosaurusMandibleDrawings.png.a50802bc7011a9758559665d8601fd60.png

 

The neotype

la-spinosaurus-skull-video-20140911.jpg.d5930593abf49353801833de0e58d1da.jpg

DSCN2352.thumb.JPG.e615650ee6cbacd9efe42aa854efe226.JPGDSCN2335.thumb.JPG.f79fd2ce5266d92c6205309381763188.JPG

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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Highly defined lip on the inside, uneven spacing of the tooth sockets these are not normally found on crocodile jaws. Cleaning the outside of the fossil would help to reveal characteristics however if this fossil is currently in Morocco the chance of them having anything to stabilise it with other than superglue is less than finding golden coprolites coming from a toy rocking horse, this in turn is going to lead to them damaging the fossil given that most Berbers don't do any preparation work I would avoid asking them to do such a task.

 

Thanks Matt 

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6 minutes ago, Haravex said:

Highly defined lip on the inside, uneven spacing of the tooth sockets these are not normally found on crocodile jaws. Cleaning the outside of the fossil would help to reveal characteristics however if this fossil is currently in Morocco the chance of them having anything to stabilise it with other than superglue is less than finding golden coprolites coming from a toy rocking horse, this in turn is going to lead to them damaging the fossil given that most Berbers don't do any preparation work I would avoid asking them to do such a task.

 

Thanks Matt 

Thanks, very informative post. This sort of creates a dilemma because the fossil is currently in Morocco and has been offered by the man who found it....If i want to buy it and have it sent to me then i have to pay for it and wait for it to arrive before letting an expert clean it.......and if it turns out to be something other than a Spinosaurid!. Then again from what i gather from you and LordTrilobite, is that it is likely to be Spinosaurid in origin. 

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I agree with Haravex. Generally I prefer to prep my own fossils, cheaper that way, though then you sometimes have to take a gamble on a fossil because it might not be clear what the ID is. But if something is not clearly IDable, I think it should be priced as such.

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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I

On 9/30/2018 at 9:34 AM, LordTrilobite said:

Generally when we see these kinds of topics, it often turns out to be croc. But this one does look like it might be Spinosaurid lower jaw.

One thing that is typical of Spinosaurus lower jaw is the lip on the side of the teeth. Some crocs also have this feature but it's less pronounced on those animals. So right now I would lean towards Spinosaur, but it needs to be cleaned to tell for sure.

 

Some reference for Spinosaurus aegyptiacus:

The holotype

Stromer1915SpinosaurusMandibleDrawings.png.a50802bc7011a9758559665d8601fd60.png

 

The neotype

la-spinosaurus-skull-video-20140911.jpg.d5930593abf49353801833de0e58d1da.jpg  DSCN2352.thumb.JPG.e615650ee6cbacd9efe42aa854efe226.JPGDSCN2335.thumb.JPG.f79fd2ce5266d92c6205309381763188.JPG

What exactly do you mean by the 'lip'? 

 

I think it is an awesome piece, no matter what species it is.

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1 hour ago, gigantoraptor said:

I

What exactly do you mean by the 'lip'? 

 

I think it is an awesome piece, no matter what species it is.

Notice in the first image I posted of the holotype jaw? There's a strong ridge on the inner side of the tooth sockets. That's what I mean by the "lip".

Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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