Fossil - Mosasaurus (Mosasaurus hoffmannii) vertebrae

Fossil - Mosasaurus (Mosasaurus hoffmannii) vertebrae, single specimen.

Late Cretaceous, ca. 90 million years ago, Morocco.

The impressive and large boulder contains several fossilized vertebrae and fragmented bone fragments of a Mosasaurus. The limestone boulder also contains smaller vertebrae of an Otodus shark. The fossilized bones are stuck to the sandy limestone. The boulder is reinforced on one side with a thin layer of gypsum. The sediment is approximately 290mm x 220mm in size.

Mosasaurs, which belong to the mosasaur family, were not actually dinosaurs, but evolved from land-dwelling reptiles. Mosasaurs had strong jaws, were skilled swimmers, and had short flippers instead of limbs and a caudal fin at the end of their long tails. They breathed oxygen like land-dwelling lizards, and did not have gills. Mosasaurs also gave birth to live young. Mosasaurs, which thrived in shallow, warm seas, were omnivorous predators that apparently ate anything they could catch. Archaeological finds have revealed that mosasaurs ate sea turtles, sharks, ammonites, young plesiosaurs, and seabirds. Sometimes, even other mosasaurs.

Symbol meaning

Ritual use

Note! Fossils are natural products that are millions of years old, so each one is unique. Therefore, colors, shapes and brightness may vary. The condition varies from fair to good and they have the wear, cracks and small chips typical of fossils.