A very interesting partial jaw measuring 197mm, illustrating the morphology of the alveoli, the tooth placement sockets, the largest of which is just slightly larger than 12mm diameter. The bone tissue exhibits the small holes which are nerve ending points of the sensory receptors which made the crocodilians such efficient predators in the water, their domain which from early beginnings of the late Cretaceous period the line of crocodyloidea evolved. The jaw section has been cleaned and conserved in the U.K., it has suffered a break in the excavation. The two pieces of the jaw have been reaffixed. Please view all the clear illustrations above.

As the ténéré rarely gives up its prehistoric treasures, here is an opportunity to gain a fossil crocodile element which is scientifically valuable as a study specimen. We have attributed this partial jaw section to the genus Elosuchus cherifiensis through our research of the gharial or gavial crocodile found in this type region of the Ifezouane Formation, found in the Early to Lower Cenomanian stage some 99.7 to 94.3 million years ago. An area of raised plateaux or hamada. The stratigraphic environment consists of conglomeratic clay-stones.

The partial Crocodilian jaw exhibited open tooth sockets the largest of which is 12mm in diameter. A very interesting specimen partial jaw which illustrates very well the morphology of the alveoli, the tooth placement sockets, the largest of which is just slightly larger than 12mm diameter. The bone tissue exhibits the small holes which are nerve ending points of the sensory receptors which made the crocodilians such efficient predators in the water, their domain which from early beginnings of the late Cretaceous period the line of crocodyloidea evolved.

Genus: Elosuchus cherifiensis (lavocat 1955; deBroin 2002).
Order: Crocodilia. Superfamily: Gaviloidea
Origin: Province, De Ksar-es-Souk, North Africa.
Age: Cretaceous, 100,000,000 - 89,000,000 years.

Specimen dimensions:
Length: 19.7 cm
Height: 4.14 cm
Depth: 2.33 cm

Weight: 0.223 kg

ELOSUCHUS CROCODILE. 4.2M / 13.7FT
HOMO SAPIEN. 1.8M / 6FT