1.5" Mosasaur Prognathodon Fossil Tooth In Matrix Cretaceous Dinosaur Era COA
Location: Oued Zem, Morocco
Weight: 2.8 Ounces
Dimensions: 2.7 Inches Long, 2.1 Inches Wide, 0.9 Inches Thick (Matrix)
Tooth Dimensions: 1.5 Inches Long, 0.8 Inches Wide
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The item pictured is the one you will receive.
100 - 66 Million Years old, Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian Epoch.
Name: Prognathodon (Forejaw tooth).
Named By: Dollo - 1889.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Depending upon the species, Prognathodon could range between 6 and possibly just under 14 meters in length.
Known locations: Fossil locations suggest a worldwide distribution, but are especially well known from Europe and North America.
Time period: Campanian to Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.
Prognathodon was a massive Late Cretaceous mosasaur known for its powerful jaws and unusual feeding strategy among marine reptiles. While most mosasaurs hunted fish and other fast-moving prey, Prognathodon evolved into a specialized shell-crushing predator, targeting hard-shelled animals such as ammonites, turtles, and marine shellfish. This unique adaptation made it one of the most distinctive apex predators in prehistoric oceans.
Evidence supporting the Prognathodon diet comes from important fossil discoveries in Canada, where scientists found specimens preserving stomach contents that included turtle remains, ammonites, and a large fish. These fossils confirmed that Prognathodon combined specialized predation with opportunistic feeding, allowing it to thrive across diverse marine environments.
Its heavy skull, reinforced jaw structure, and thick serrated teeth were ideally suited for breaking shells and cutting flesh, demonstrating a rare form of durophagous feeding among mosasaurs. Additional anatomical features, such as protective bony rings around the eyes, suggest adaptations for deep-water hunting where pressure resistance would have been essential.
The evolution of this feeding strategy may have resulted from competition with other marine predators or the availability of abundant hard-shelled prey during the Late Cretaceous. Along with similarly adapted mosasaurs like Globidens, Prognathodon highlights the remarkable ecological diversity and evolutionary flexibility of these ancient marine reptiles.
Please be aware of the nature of fossils:
Being buried under the ground for millions of years under tons of pressure tends to be rough. No fossil comes out of the ground whole and perfect. Most fossils have undergone some restoration, while others are altered by man simply to enhance their presentation in different ways. The workers in Morocco do a very professional job of unearthing and preserving these natural treasures; however, commonly, natural cracks are visible on the surface. These are part of the natural beauty of the fossil and are not considered defects.
