ARTICULATED VERTEBRAL COLUMN WITH SCAPULAE AND CERVICAL VERTEBRAE ARTICULATED WITH SKULL

SKULL IS EMBEDDED IN ORIGINAL MATRIX AND IS COMPLETE - DORSAL REGION EXPOSED WITH COMPLETE MAXILLA AND MANDIBLE INCLUDING ADDITIONAL ASSOCIATED PIECES BELOW - ALL PORTIONS FROM SAME MOSASAUR!

ULTRA RARE ASSOCIATED HALISAURUS MOSASAUR SKELETON WITH COMPLETE SKULL IN MATRIX

Khouribga, Morocco

LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD:  73 - 65 million years ago

An extraordinary offering indeed, this is the first specimen of this kind we know made available for public sale.  This is a complete skull and associated skeleton of a newly published species of mosasaur called Halisaurus arambourgi.  This species is the smallest identified mosasaur species from the Oulad Abdoun Basin of Morocco and one of of six species known in the Maastrichtian phosphates of the Ganntour Basin (Morocco).  The species was just published in March of 2005 and it is known from limited cranial and post-cranial remains.  Fossils of this creature are rare and usually are limited to small isolated finds of teeth only.

Because of the delicate nature of this creature's skeleton, remains found have been poorly preserved and often are found fragmented and scattered in the formation.  To discover an associated skeleton like this specimen, WITH ITS ORIGINAL SKULL is extremely rare and an unforgettable find!  Furthermore, the skull is complete with just the dorsal portion exposed in the heavy block of original matrix.  Both sides to the maxilla and mandible are present in both the main matrix block with the skull as well as the three additional smaller pieces shown in the photos.  The cervical vertebrae are still lined up leading into the skull in matrix.  Majority of the vertebral column is present with associated scapulae and remainder of cervical vertebrae.  There may be additional limb bones buried in the matrix as the blocks are a half a foot thick in some regions.  There are 3 main matrix blocks with 3 smaller associated matrix blocks for a total of 6 matrix pieces where the head and body are embedded.

THIS IS AN ALL ORIGINAL AND ULTRA-RARE SKELETON AND COMPLETE SKULL OF THE SAME SINGLE MOSASAUR.  IT IS A SUPER RARE SPECIES THAT WAS JUST PUBLISHED IN 2005!  IT IS NOT A COMPOSITE OF MULTIPLE ANIMALS OF THE SAME SPECIES AS MANY SKULLS AND SKELETONS ARE OFFERED ON THE PUBLIC FOSSIL MARKET.  NO RESTORATION OR REPAIR HAS BEEN DONE TO ANY PART OF THIS FOSSIL. 

IT IS STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL MATRIX AS FOUND.  THIS SPECIMEN IS EXTREMELY VALUABLE FROM A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE AS IT HAS NOT BEEN EXTRACTED BY AMATEURS AND ASSEMBLED INTO A HODGE-PODGE "FRANKENSTEIN" DISPLAY PIECE AS OTHER SPECIMENS HAVE THAT HAVE SHOWN UP ON THE MARKET.  THIS SPECIMEN IS ACTUALLY MUCH MORE VALUABLE AS IT IS IN MATRIX WITH NOTHING DONE TO IT RATHER THAN TO BE MOUNTED AND RESTORED IN AN INCORRECT MANNER WHICH DESTROYS THE VALUE OF THE SPECIMEN.  PERFECT FOR A MUSEUM OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION PROFESSIONAL TO EXTRACT AND MOUNT PROPERLY OR LEAVE POSITIONED AS IT DIED AND WAS BURIED MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

Back in the second half of the 1700's, geologists made a remarkable discovery near the southernmost city of the Netherlands.  A huge skull was unearthed belonging to a gigantic reptile which had lived 65 million years ago in the waters around what is now Maastricht. The creature was later named the mosasaur, meaning ‘lizard of the Meuse or Maas river'.

Mosasaurs were the largest lizards that ever evolved and attained lengths of almost 60 feet with a skull 6 foot long!  The mosasaur was a powerful swimmer who spent its entire life in the sea. Mosasaurs had long and powerful bodies whose tails and limbs were adapted for swimming.  They probably swam by moving their long body in a snake-like way, also using their finned tail to propel them forwards. They steered with small, webbed feet.   

Mosasaurs had long heads, strong and flexible necks and hydrofoil-like limbs. Their large jaws had stabbing teeth and had a hinge in the mid-lower jaw similar to modern day constrictor snakes. 

This enabled them to swallow huge prey.  What is even more amazing about these creatures is that they had curved teeth on the ROOF of their mouth just before their throat!  Any prey still attempting to escape their massive jaws would be firmly held by these teeth just prior to being swallowed whole.  The teeth in the jaws of the mosasaur were deeply lodged into the jaw-bone.  This tells us that there was huge power in the bite to necessitate such well-anchored teeth. It’s believed that the bite force of the mosasaur was AT LEAST equal to that of a Tyrannosaurus rex!

Mosasaurs ate large fish, shellfish, sharks and some ate mollusks.  They lived during the same period T. rex roamed the earth.  Mosasaurs can easily be considered the T. rex of the prehistoric seas!  Such creatures were true hunter-killers that had no rival during their existence. 

ULTRA RARE RECENTLY DISCOVERED SPECIES AND FIRST TIME WE KNOW OF THAT A COMPLETE SKULL WITH ITS ASSOCIATED SKELETON HAS BEEN OFFERED - DISPLAY AS IS OR REMOVE AND MOUNT!

62.5" in length overall, skull in main matrix block is 22" x 16" overall

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MOSASAUR by BRIAN CHOO 

THIS IMAGE IS PROTECTED BY A STRICTLY ENFORCED COPYRIGHT AND MAY NOT BE USED IN ANY WAY

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