Marine reptiles
Framed marine reptile tooth
A marine reptile tooth of seven to eight centimetres: an even conical crown and a robust root.
140 000 ₽ · In stock
- Size
- 7–8 cm
- Classification
- Marine reptile, genus undetermined
- Habitat
- Warm seas of the distant past
- Ref.
- R–0655
The dark brown crown tapers towards the apex in a smooth cone with a slight curve and a soft gloss. It continues into a pale bony root — thick, rough and noticeably longer than the crown itself. The contrast of smooth and rough, dark and light makes the form especially expressive.
Teeth like these belonged to large marine reptiles that hunted in the open water column. Lacking cutting edges, the crown served for seizing prey: it sank into a fish or cephalopod and kept the quarry from slipping free. The root lay deep within the jaw, and the teeth were replaced throughout the animal's life.
Seven to eight centimetres is the middle size of the series, and it includes two such teeth. Here the proportions are especially balanced: crown and root read with equal clarity. The tooth holds the eye both up close and from several paces away.
In life
The marine reptile glided through the half-light of the open sea and, with a single lunge, seized cephalopods drifting near the surface.