Lot 109A
North Africa, Morocco, Late Cretaceous, ca. 82 to 66 million years ago. A petite and well-preserved fossil skull of a Mosasaur, the extinct marine reptile that dominated prehistoric seas during the Late Cretaceous. This fearsome predator is displayed on a custom metal stand and features a partially articulated upper and lower jaw with numerous conical teeth, including pterygoid teeth located on the pterygoid bone in the roof of the mouth - an adaptation used to grip and manipulate struggling prey. Like modern snakes, mosasaurs possessed powerful, hinged jaws and flexible skulls capable of expanding to swallow large chunks of flesh - or even entire animals - in a single bite. These apex predators were highly specialized marine lizards with streamlined bodies, flattened tails, and webbed, paddle-like limbs, bearing a strong resemblance to flippered crocodiles. Size: 11.5" L x 4" W (29.2 cm x 10.2 cm); 10.5" H (26.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: private Berthoud, Colorado, USA collection
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#196173
- Condition: Professionally prepared with expected repairs and restoration. Restoration with new material is approximately 70% or more original material. Teeth have losses and chips, some are reattached and some might not be original to this skull.
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