Striations are the signature
Fine parallel ridges run from base to tip along a plesiosaur crown. They are the quickest way to separate one from a slender mosasaur tooth, which is faceted.
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
How to recognise a plesiosaur tooth before buying
Slender gripping teeth from the Late Cretaceous require cautious identification and documentation for the individual piece.
Zarafasaura oceanis was a long-necked elasmosaur from Morocco’s Maastrichtian phosphates. Plesiosaur teeth from these beds are generally slim, gently curved and covered in fine longitudinal ridges.
Isolated teeth cannot always be identified reliably to genus. A listing should explain the basis for its identification and document the exact piece’s provenance separately.
- Age
- 70–66 million years
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
- Frequently cited region
- Khouribga region; verify each piece
- Typical size
- 2–4 cm crown
Coming soon
Plesiosaur Specimens
Coming soon
Plesiosaur will be available in this collection soon.
Before you buy
Judging a Plesiosaur tooth
Slender and curved
These are gripping teeth for fish and cephalopods: narrow, round in section and curved inward. They are more delicate than many mosasaur teeth.
On the naming
Zarafasaura oceanis is known from Morocco’s Maastrichtian phosphates, but isolated teeth can often be identified only as plesiosaur. A specific species name requires diagnostic evidence.
