Lot 203
North Africa, Morocco, Upper Cretaceous, ca. 70 to 66 million years ago. An impressive fossil specimen composed of three articulated vertebrae from a Plesiosaur, a long-necked marine reptile that once thrived in the warm inland seas of the Late Cretaceous. This partial section of the spinal column displays the characteristic robust centra with concave articular faces and perforated neural canals, as well as remnants of the neural arches, now fractured and eroded by time. The bone exhibits excellent preservation with a bleached white hue, likely due to fossilization in phosphate deposits. Size: 10" L x 2.75" W x 6.5" H (25.4 cm x 7 cm x 16.5 cm); 10.5" H (26.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Plesiosaurs were long-necked, carnivorous marine reptiles that thrived during the Triassic and Jurassic periods, but declined by the late Cretaceous, likely due to ecological competition and predation pressures from emerging apex predators like mosasaurs. Their elongated necks, while useful for hunting, may have made them vulnerable to injury, further contributing to their decline. Fascinatingly, recent fossil discoveries in Morocco suggest that some plesiosaurs adapted to freshwater and brackish environments, possibly seeking refuge for reproduction or to avoid marine predators. Though extinct, they continue to capture the imagination - most notably through unproven claims of modern survival in isolated freshwater bodies such as Scotland's Loch Ness.
Provenance: private Berthoud, Colorado, USA collection
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#195229
- Condition: Well-preserved and remains articulated, with three vertebrae aligned in stable condition. Some repairs and reattached pieces. Expected fractures and minor losses to the dorsal processes. On a custom metal stand.
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