Ancient Seas, Morocco, Cretaceous period, ca. 145 to 66 million years ago. A spectacular trio of ancient marine fossils. The first is a tooth imbedded in a jawbone fragment from the prehistoric mosasaur. They were marine dwelling reptiles, and one of the dominant predators of the ancient seas with a streamlined body and webbed feet. The tooth enamel is a pretty ombre brown and contrasts with the rest of the fossilized jawbone. Next is a fossilized vertebra bone in a stone matrix from another mosasaur. Together, the tooth and vertebra help envision the sheer size of this reptile. The last and most interesting is a fossilized turtle skull, probably from Lytoloma, a sea turtle of a truly massive size. The ocular and nasal cavities are intact, and the matrix is removed in this area. A wonderful collection of prehistoric sea creatures! Size mosasaur tooth: 5" L x 4" W (12.7 cm x 10.2 cm); vertebrae: 8" L x 7" W (20.3 cm x 17.8 cm); turtle skull: 8" L x 7" W (20.3 cm x 17.8 cm)

Provenance: private L.D. collection, Ohio, USA, acquired before January 2019

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#165543

Mosasaur tooth has a loss to the tip and chips to enamel and stable fissures. The jawbone section has stable fissures and light mineral deposits. Active flaking and chipping to stone matrix on vertebra. Stable fissures on bone. Losses to tips of transverse and spinous processes. Turtle skull has losses to back half as shown. Stable fissures from fossilization in stone matrix.