Extraordinarily complete and pleasing Otodus obliquus, Ancient Mako, Mackerel Shark vertebra from the now classically established collecting zone in North Africa. The fossil cartilaginous bone has excellent preservation and is of good quality and condition. The matrix is authentic, exhumed from the fossil bed. As you view here, we have only cleaned off the face of the vertebra. 

A stand-alone exhibit of an exceptionally large-sized specimen vertebra from the backbone of the ancient predatory Mackerel shark. In the 'as discovered' condition, having the bonus attribute to be excavated further, either to 'pop' the vertebra in the original fossil matrix a little more or altogether removed from the matrix. Stands well, block cut to freestand. 

Very large and superb Otodus obliquus Vertebra block, a perfect shark find from an extinct fossil shark encapsulated in the original limestone matrix of the fossil bedding plane, unearthed at the phosphate mines near Khouribga, the Ouled Abdoun Basin formation, western Morocco. This genuine fossil found in fossil limestones from the late Cretaceous to the early Eocene periods of North Africa exhibits superb preservation, considering it has lain in the fossil bed, buried for up to 70,000,000 years.

The fossil bed is at the Ouled Abdoun Basin formation of western Morocco, North Africa. The extremely sharp edges to both mesial and distal sides, having been exposed, lead to the crown tip. At the very good bourlette and root, one of the cusplet pointers shows excellent preservation, the medial cusplet still encased in the limestone block awaiting the relief of its tomb.

All our shark teeth have been selected to provide you with the best available Otodus obliquus teeth specimens from Morocco. These sharks are known for their fossil discoveries of only the shark teeth and some vertebral centra. Like most elasmobranchs, the skeletons of Otodus obliquus sharks, where cartilage is easily broken down by bacteria, resulting in most discoveries missing the skeletal structures, were cartilaginous, which can be seen in many other vertebrate fossil depositions.

The Otodus obliquus was a giant Mako-predatory shark with the most significant recorded tooth measuring 10.4 cm in length. With each discovery, we can learn more about these mighty sharks that roamed the prehistoric seas of the Cenozoic era. Otodus was a fearsome predatory shark growing to a maximum length of 39 feet. Their prey is smaller marine mammals, including smaller sharks. Scientists and palaeontologists theorise the Otodus obliquus ancestry connects to that of the great Megalodon from the Miocene era, evolving for around 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 years and now down we can enjoy the modern Great white sharks. This is the lineage of Carcharocles as we understand it today.

Genus: Otodus obliquus. Ancient Mako, Mackerel Shark.

Age: Late Palaeocene, Eocene, 60,000,000 - 40,000,000 years.

Origin: Moyen, Atlas Mountain Range, Morocco, North Africa.

Overall block measurements.

Height: 15.5 cm

Width: 18.0 cm

Depth: 9.0 cm

Centrum Vertebrae measurement.

Length: 9.5 cm

Depth: 3.0 cm

Weight: 2.155 Kg

Supplied with Adequately described leaflet of origin and size diagrams of the teeth found in this fossil layer deposit.