An exceptionally fine and rare Anoxypristis sawfish rostrum sympathetically conserved out of the original matrix or fossil bedrock. Several teeth have been re-seated back into the dental alveoli socket. From a scientific viewpoint, this specimen is highly important, from a collection and aesthetic point of view a rare opportunity to acquire a nearly complete fossil sawfish rostrum. When the sawfish decayed on the seabed, the cartilage parts would have eaten by other predators and eventually decayed by bacteria, only the hardest parts, like this rostrum and teeth would lay in sediments which eventually hardened, fossilising into limestone.

Once found, the matrix surrounding one side of the rostrum was carefully and partially removed before a burlap jacket was placed around the newly revealed section for a stable removal from the fossil matrix for further transportation. Later the whole restored in a studio lab in England where further restoration of the Anoxypristis sawfish rostrum took place.

Prehistoric sawfish attained great sizes from 20 - 25ft and would have been a difficult prey for predators, like the Spinosaurus, a large theropod fish-eating dinosaur, the sawfish rostral teeth, used to stun and catch prey or fight predators were extremely vicious, similar to modern sawfish. Often found inshore, venturing into estuaries, swimming upstream into rivers, the perfect habitat and hunting grounds in the warm water margins of such subtropical environments.

Spec

Genus: Anoxypristis mucrodens. Sawfish. [Possibly; Pristis Lathami].
Origin: Ouled Abdoun Basin, Morocco, N. Africa.
Age: Late Palaeocene, Maastrichtian - Ypresian, 72,000,000 - 56,000,000.
Stats: Up to - 6M+ /  19FT+

Size

H: 75 CM
W: 16 CM
D: 4 CM

In Stand

H: 92 CM
W: 7.5 CM
D: 13 CM
KG: 7.000