Description:

North Africa, Phosphate Deposits, Khouribga, Morocco, Paleocene, ca. 60 million years ago. An extremely rare shark fossil find, featuring a large associated spinal column from this giant extinct shark, Otodus obliquus. The vertebrae are in their naturally associated positions as the shark died and was buried. These are the maximum size vertebrae of a massive adult Otodus prehistoric shark. Since a shark has no bone and only cartilage, fossilized vertebrae are extraordinarily rare. The Otodus obliquus shark (Mackerel shark) is thought to be at the heart of the white shark family tree and its fossils are found in sandstone in the phosphate mines in Khouribga, Morocco. The Mackerel Shark was king of the Paleocene seas 60 million years ago and is considered a prehistoric ancestor of the modern Great White Shark. Size of full display: 30" L (76.2 cm); size of largest vertebrae diameter: 4" W (10.2 cm)

Provenance: acquired in 2012 from a French collection

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#136050

  • Condition: No repair or restoration. Stabilized in the original plaster jacket.

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June 21, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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