Mosasaurus beaugei tooth 105mm

Mosasaurus beaugei tooth 105mm in overall height root to crown tip. Displays a good caramel colour enamel or dentin surface.

The Mosasaurs with the extinction of the ichthyosaurs and pliosaurs became the dominant marine predators of the age.

The Cretaceous period marine reptile featured in the saga of Jurassic world films. The Mosasaurs were a group of perfectly developed marine predators, resembling a crocodilian and lizard form, huge double hinged jaws and skulls armed with many teeth; It is thought they could unhinge their jaws and gulp down large prey. Powerful flippers and streamlined bodies. At first it was thought that Mosasaurs used their bodies like snakes or eels when swimming, in an undulating side to side movement. However the most recent research nows leads us to theorise their bodies remained stiff and a large fluked tail provided the locomotion which propelled the Mosasaur.

Part of a more ancient group of aquatic lizards, the aigialosaurs group. Mosasaurs breathed air, gave birth to live young and grew from around 3 feet; Dallasaurus turneri, the smallest Mosasaur to 50 feet in length; Mosasaurus hoffmannii, the largest. The Mosasaurs reigned for around 20 million years before the mass extinction which also ended the dinosaurs existence, around 65 million years ago at the K-T boundary event. This was the last 20 million years of the Cretaceous period. The Turonian to Maastrichtian ages.

The first fossils were discovered in an 18th century limestone quarry near Maastricht on the river Meuse. When first discovered the skeleton was thought to be that of a dragon and the major of Maastricht had the fossil bones put on display in a glass case for all to marvel at the size of the amazing new discovery.