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Mosasaur Teeth
Cretaceous (65+ million years ago)
Phosphate mines, Kouribgha, Morocco
(from 2002 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show)

Mosasaurs were the largest lizards that ever evolved and attained lengths of 40 ft!  The mosasaur was a powerful swimmer who spent its entire life in the sea. Mosasaurs had long and powerful bodies whose tails and limbs were adapted for swimming.  They probably swam by moving their long body in a snake-like way, also using their finned tail to propel them forwards. They steered with small, webbed feet.  Mosasaurs had long heads, strong and flexible necks and hydrofoil-like limbs. Their large jaws had stabbing teeth and had a hinge in the mid-lower jaw similar to modern day constrictor snakes. This enabled them to swallow huge prey.  The teeth of the mosasaur were deeply lodged into the jaw-bone.  This tells us that there was huge power in the bite to necessitate such well-anchored teeth. It’s believed that the bite force of the mosasaur was certainly equal to that of a Tyrannosaurus rex!  These specimens were collected in Morocco.

References:
1. http://www.ctcnet.net/treasure/morocco.htm - Treasures of the Earth, Ltd.
2. http://www.paleodirect.com/mv301.htm  - Paleo Direct
3. http://www.pangaeaindustries.com  - Pangaea Industries, Inc.
4. http://digilander.iol.it/tulse/6ewvp/abstractbook%206ewvp.pdf  - 6th European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology - Florence and Montevarchi (Italy) - September 19-22, 2001