Need help identificating which mosasaur species tooth belongs to

[LagartijaSalada]

Hi. I got a mosasaur tooth from Kalifano's amazon store. They looked like a trustable seller so I went for it. The tooth looks good, but I need help identificating which mosasaur species it belongs to. It is aprox 3.5 Inches in length. I've got no idea where kalifano gets their mosa teeth.

[Brevicollis]

Most mosasaur teeth you see on the market nowadays, are from the moroccan Ouled Abdun basin, near the city of Khourigba. The crown belongs to a prognathodintine mosasaur, so its probably Thalassotitan atrox, as its one of the most common species found there, and the only prognathodontine, besides Prognathodon currii, whose teeth dont match with yours, described from there. 

 

In the end,I would let @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon and @Praefectus state the final ID, as this is now a bit behind my knowledge 

 

Also, the root appears to be fake, it appears to be made from a mix of plaster, and sand. I think its fake, as the color, and texture are wrong, compared to a real root. Sorry for that 

I could give an example of a real mosasaur tooth root later.

Edited 50 minutes ago by Brevicollis

[LagartijaSalada]

1 hour ago, Brevicollis said:

Most mosasaur teeth you see on the market nowadays, are from the moroccan Ouled Abdun basin, near the city of Khourigba. The crown belongs to a prognathodintine mosasaur, so its probably Thalassotitan atrox, as its one of the most common species found there, and the only prognathodontine, besides Prognathodon currii, described from there. But I'm not really sure if this tooth really belongs to Thalassotitan atrox, as I think I see some stronger faceting on this tooth. So I would also consider Prognathodon solvayi cf. a possibility too, but I'm not very sure with that.
 

In the end,I would let @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon and @Praefectus state the final ID, as this is now way behind my knowledge 

 

Also, the root appears to be fake, it appears to be made from a mix of plaster, and sand. I think its fake, as the color, and texture are wrong, compared to a real root. Sorry for that 

I could give an example of a real mosasaur tooth root later.

Thanks. Can you send images of 100% real mosasaur teeth? And also, here is the same tooth from another angle, in case it may make you rethink anything about it.

[Brevicollis]

 

14 minutes ago, LagartijaSalada said:

Thanks. Can you send images of 100% real mosasaur teeth? And also, here is the same tooth from another angle, in case it may make you rethink anything about it.

Here. The root might be a big different to other mosasaur teeth, as this is a palatal tooth, located in the back of the jaw, but my only fully rooted mosasaur tooth, that has a fully real root. Notice how bony it is, the spongy bone texture is also following the curve of the tooth, and there is also a clean transition into the crown. 

 

I also think, that your composite root was made separately, and then the crown was attached to it, with the help of plaster.

I think Im able to see, where it was attached, because there is a major color and texture change.

 

I hope this helps !

[LagartijaSalada]

2 minutes ago, Brevicollis said:

 

Here. The root might be a big different to other mosasaur teeth, as this is a palatal tooth, located in the back of the jaw, but my only fully rooted mosasaur tooth, that has a fully real root. Notice how bony it is, the spongy bone texture is also following the curve of the tooth, and there is also a clean transition into the crown. 

 

I also think, that your composite root was made separately, and then the crown was attached to it, with the help of plaster.

I think Im able to see, where it was attached, because there is a major color and texture change.

 

I hope this helps !

Thanks again, man. What do you think the root is made of?

 

This one was the first fossil I buy so, I was actually expecting to get scammed.

[Brevicollis]

1 minute ago, LagartijaSalada said:

What do you think the root is made of?

Probably plaster, or a mix with plaster and other things. Its easy to work with, and I've never heard of a moroccan fossil workshop that doesn't use plaster before. 
 

Don't worry, you are not the only one who has been scammed in the fossil world, I've got scammed too a few times. And I bet, many more members, who also are very experienced with fossils and can tell most fakes apart, can also tell many stories about their experiences.

If you want to buy more fossils, you're not sure if they are real, you could post them here  

 

Anyway, still a nice crown that was used for that !