Scientists suspect the newly discovered mosasaur fossil is a fake

In 2021 scientists have identified a new species of mosasaur after the discovery of a Cretaceous period jaw with unusual teeth in a Moroccan mine. There’s just one problem—the remains might be faked.

Researchers in Canada have expressed doubts about the authenticity of a fossil used to identify and describe a new species of extinct marine reptile, Xenodens calminechariin 2021 Their analysis detailed in a of December 16 study published in The anatomical recordhighlights the inconsistencies within the previous research and calls for new CT scans of the jaw to confirm its validity.

If their suspicions prove correct, “it should be established in the published literature that this is a forgery,” said Henry Sharp of the University of Alberta, who led the recent study. Live science.

Our ‘Xenodens’ refutation is now open access in The Anatomical Record: this strange ‘shark-toothed’ mosasaur is probably both a fake and non-diagnostic (🧵) pic.twitter.com/9s1UWMYJaw

— Hank Sharp (@Paleoartologist) December 17, 2024

Mosasaurs were large marine lizards and one of the largest predators of the oceans during the Cretaceous period (145.5 million to 66 million years ago), with some individuals reaching 56 feet (17 meters) in length. The researchers of the 2021 study partly based the identification of the new mosasaur species on four sharp teeth found on an incomplete jaw dated between 72.1 and 66 million years ago and discovered in a Moroccan phosphate mine.

“The new mosasaurid shows a dental battery (dental system) with numerous small, short, blade-like teeth packed together to form a saw-like cutting edge,” wrote the researchers, led by Nicholas R. Longrich of the University of Bath, in a 2021 study. They claimed that this was the first such arrangement of teeth found in tetrapods (vertebrates with four legs), and it was this hypothesis that led Sharpe and his colleagues to take a closer look.

Two of the alleged’s surviving teeth X. calminechari the jaw sits in a single tooth socket, a feature that contradicts most other known mosasaur teeth and jaws, where each tooth grows in its own socket. Mosasaur tooth sockets developed from the bone of individual teeth, as opposed to jawbone, explained Michael Caldwell of the University of Alberta, who also contributed to the new study. This means that each tooth must have its own socket.

“Every time one of those teeth resorbs and falls out, it leaves a huge pit. And that’s because the next tooth goes into that hole to rebuild all that tissue so it’s firmly anchored in the jaw,” he told Live Science. Sharp’s team also suggested the presence of “possible adhesive material” and argued that the particular overlap of a type of tissue on two teeth was unusual and could indicate a forgery, according to the study.

Aside from the teeth themselves, the discovery of the jaw in Morocco’s Khoribga province occurred under potentially suspicious circumstances, as the fossil was “obtained unscientifically (without technical oversight) from an area in Morocco that yields many manipulated or tampered specimens,” they wrote in the study.

Ultimately, the researchers suggest that the teeth and jaw may belong to two different creatures, although a CT scan of the remains may resolve any doubts. It remains to be seen whether researchers will be able to apply this technique to X. calminechari fossils – or convince others to do so – in the near future. For now, proceed with caution if you come across any quotes about a new mosasaur with weird teeth!