
Artist’s thoughts CarinodensScientists suspect the remains of a mosasaur may have been processed and classified as a new species
henry sharp
The remains of a strange “shark-toothed” aquatic predator that lived in symbiosis with dinosaurs are likely forged, according to a new study.
The controversial jaw fragment fossil is believed to have been collected from 66 to 72 million year old rock by miners working at the Sidi Chenan phosphate mine in Morocco. Nick Longrich and his colleagues at the University of Bath, UK, analyzed the find and classified it as a new species of mosasaur. xenodens carminechari In 2021.
The fossil had very unusual blade-like teeth similar to shark teeth, which Longrich and his colleagues suggested could be useful for carving up large prey.
According to Henry Sharp of the University of Alberta in Canada, Morocco is uniquely rich in mosasaurus fossils. “Miners working in phosphate mines encounter mosasaurs all the time.”
The problem, Sharp says, is that many people in Morocco make a living selling fossils. “Many of the mosasaurid fossils sold from Morocco have been modified by adding teeth or carving bones to increase the sale value of the fossils.”
Sharp and his colleagues are currently reevaluating the evidence presented by Longlich’s team. The biggest piece of evidence that the fossil was faked is the teeth, Sharp said. Each tooth of a mosasaurus corresponds to a hole in its jaw. “Even if the quality of the fossil is very poor, by counting the number of these holes you can get the correct number of teeth,” he says. but X. Carminechari There are 4 teeth above 2 holes.
Sharp said the teeth appear to be glued to the jaw in a way that doesn’t align with the solar plexus. “It seems likely that the tooth implant was faked.”
Sharp says there are ways to tell if a fossil is fake. Typically, fakes are carved using a mixture of bone fragments and glue, and then embedded in a glue and sand mixture that looks like natural rock. CT scans can be used to look at the underlying bones and rocks and determine if they have been altered.
“CT scan fossils are common and really should be the standard for mosasaurs from Morocco,” Sharp said.
Sharp’s team suspects that the fossil is not a new species, but rather a known, albeit manipulated, mosasaur. Its teeth resemble those of a juvenile Mosasaurus. Carinodens and Globidencesays Sharp.
“I commend the authors of this paper,” says Valentina Rossi from University College Cork in Ireland. “To address this (falsification) problem, we must continue to talk about it (and) report fossils that are created in misleading ways.”
Rossi says there are many reasons to produce fake fossils, but it all boils down to money. “Broken fossil bones can’t be sold, but complete parts, like well-preserved jawbones filled with teeth, can be,” she says.
Mr. Sharp said that in countries like Canada, private fossil sales are largely prohibited. Without such regulation, there may be a temptation to tweak fossils and sell them at higher prices.
Mr. Longrich did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. Sharp hopes that Longlich’s team will CT scan the fossil and publish the results. “Scientific consensus is not achieved by consensus; it is reached by disagreement until both sides have collected enough data to answer the questions,” he says.
topic:
(Tag Translation) Paleontology