Nicely Preserved "Gavialimimus almaghribensis" (Rare Mosasaur species) Rooted Tooth - Fossil tooth (Sin Precio de Reserva)

Scientific name: †Gavialimimus almaghribensis, sp. nov, 2020 - (Old named as Platecarpus ptychodon, (Arambourg, 1952) - Mosasaur Tooth

Location: Oued Zem, Morocco

Geological Formation: Ouled Abdoun Basin (Phosphate beds)

Age: Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian stage, (~66 Million Years)

Size: 4,96cm long

Ref: S255

Observations: Quite rare Mosasaur species, Gavialimimus almaghribensis (the old named as Platecarpus ptychodon by Arambourg) from the Late Cretaceous phosphate deposits in Ouled Abdoun Basin from central Morocco. Perfect specimen, displaying an astonishing pristine enamel with the characteristic longitudinal ridges of this mosasaur species. Fully rooted with no restorations or repairs.

In the international market is very common to find Mosasaurus teeth coming from the phosphate quarries of the Upper Cretaceous in the Ouled Abdoun Basin (Morocco). This quarries have been exploited since the beginning of the past century. Many sellers that sell this fossils do not make a good precise taxonomic identification work.

Another very interesting aspect of this specimen is that an "alveoli" hole belonging to a germ-emerging replacement tooth is visible within the root. Mosasaurs, like sharks or terrestrial dinosaurs, continuously replace their teeth throughout their lives. When a tooth begins to wear down, a new one starts to grow underneath and replaces it. Here is a magnificent example. We can see a small depression in its root where there must have been a small germ tooth.

The main assemblage of vertebrate fossils of the Paleogene sector present there is composed by sharks, fish, turtles, marine snakes, rays, crocodiles, other types of reptiles and even birds. In the Cretaceous part we can add Mosasaurs, Pterosaurs and Plesiosaurs, including some rare Theropod Dinosaurs as a new Abelisaurid (Chenanisaurus barbaricus), as well as one Hadrosaurid (Ajnabia odysseus). Also present in the Cretaceous a huge diversity of sharks and fishes.

Diagnosis: As for the type and only species. Derivation of name: Meaning‘gharial mimic’, from the Gallicized Hindi root‘gavial’and the Greek root‘mimus’, the genus name refers to morphological con-vergence between the holotype specimen and the extantgharial (Gavialis gangeticus), primarily regarding their distinctive longirostry and interlocking teeth.

Small teeth with bicarinate higly laterally compressed crowns, subequal lingal and labial surfaces bearing verticals striations that are more numerous on the lingual face and developed only on the two thirds of the crown height.
12 or 13 teeth on a dentary, 14 on a maxillary.

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