This authentic Mosasaur tooth fossil is a broad, strongly tapered specimen displaying a gently recurved profile and a substantial base. The fossilised enamel has developed a warm brown to honey-toned colour, with extensive fine longitudinal striations and intricate natural cracking visible across the crown. Several areas retain patches of contrasting mineralised material around the base, adding to its natural fossil character. The tooth has an appealing combination of robust proportions, surface detail and preserved geological texture.
Specimen Details
Fossil: Mosasaur Tooth
Group: Mosasauridae
Age: Late Cretaceous Period, approximately 7266 million years old
Specimen Size: Approximately 38 × 28 × 21 mm
Weight: 20 g
Condition: Repaired and stabilised
The Mosasaur Apex Predators of the Cretaceous Seas
Mosasaurs were large marine reptiles that dominated many of the world's oceans during the Late Cretaceous. Despite living alongside dinosaurs, they were not dinosaurs themselves. They belonged to the squamate reptile lineage and were more closely related to modern monitor lizards and snakes.
Their streamlined bodies, powerful jaws and numerous replaceable teeth made mosasaurs highly effective marine predators. Different species occupied different ecological niches, with prey ranging from fish and ammonites to other marine reptiles. Their teeth were continually replaced throughout life, meaning isolated mosasaur teeth are among the more commonly encountered remains of these remarkable animals.
The shape and proportions of mosasaur teeth varied between genera and even between different positions within the jaws. This specimen's broad, tapered crown and pronounced longitudinal surface texture are characteristic features seen in the teeth of large Late Cretaceous mosasaurs.
Mosasaurs survived until the end of the Cretaceous, disappearing during the mass extinction approximately 66 million years ago. Their extinction marked the end of one of the most successful groups of marine reptiles in Earth's history, leaving their fossilised bones and teeth as evidence of their former dominance.
Preservation and Restoration
This Mosasaur tooth fossil displays extensive natural surface detail, including fine enamel striations, colour variation and mineralised material associated with the base. The visible repairs and stabilisation are consistent with the fragile nature of fossil teeth, which can fracture through geological processes and during recovery.
At approximately 38 mm long, this is a compact but substantial Mosasaur tooth fossil with an attractive display profile. Its warm brown colour, broad triangular form and intricate fossilised surface make it an excellent specimen for collectors interested in prehistoric marine reptiles and the extraordinary ecosystems of the Late Cretaceous.
A fascinating relic from an ancient ocean, this authentic Mosasaur tooth fossil preserves a small but tangible piece of the world inhabited by some of the greatest marine predators of the Cretaceous.
