This genuine fossilized Mosasaurus tooth was found in the Badlands of South Dakota and is from an extinct giant aquatic squamate reptile species. Mosasaur grew to slightly larger than Tyrannosaurus Rex. Mosasaur lived during a period 66 - 82 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous Period.
This fossil is from the Western Interior Seaway, which was a shallow inland sea that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the Arctic Ocean, cutting the North American continent in two. It reached a depth of roughly 400 meters, had temperatures similar to those of the Gulf of Mexico, and covered what is now the Badlands at a time when dinosaurs were roaming Earth. Due to the earth's ever-changing climate, the Western Interior Seaway has dried up and no longer exists, leaving behind rich fossil beds. Mosasaur had double-hinged jaws and flexible skulls, enabling it to swallow much of their prey whole.
This fossil has been hand wrapped with tarnish resistant solid copper by our Florida West Artisans and is part of our Jurassic Jewelry Line.
Fossil Tooth Size: 1 1/4"L x 3/4"W (32mm x 20mm)
Top to Bottom Pendant Size: 2" (47mm)
Leather Cord: 33" Leather with Knot
MOSASAURUS: Apex Predator of the Western Interior Seaway
(Photos from National Park Service: Badlands Geology and Paleontology)