12.8" Polycotylid Plesiosaur Vertebrae Fossil In Situ Cretaceous Dinosaur Age COA

Location: Goulmima, Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Weight: 8 Pound 13.4 Ounces 

Dimensions: 12.8 Inches Long, 6.9 Inches Wide, 3 Inches Thick (Matrix)

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This is a Genuine Fossil

Cretaceous Age, 100 Million Years Old.

Polycotylid plesiosaurs are a fascinating group of marine reptiles that lived during the Cretaceous period, around 100-65 million years ago. These creatures were characterized by their long, slender necks and tails, and their distinctive double-hinged jaws.

In Morocco, there have been several discoveries of polycotylid plesiosaur fossils, including the holotype specimen of the species Plesiosaurus moroccensis. This species was described in a 2013 paper by Oussedik et al. in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

A notable feature of polycotylid plesiosaurs is their distinctive dental arrangement. Unlike other plesiosaurs that have a single row of teeth per jaw, polycotylids possess two rows, with the upper row being more pronounced than the lower. This unusual dental pattern indicates they likely employed a different feeding technique compared to other plesiosaurs. In Morocco, besides Plesiosaurus moroccensis, other polycotylid species such as P. cedrimani and P. fraasii have been identified, as detailed in a 2017 study by Sweet and colleagues published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.