AN EXTINCT ‘BASILOSAURUS’ ANCIENT WHALE TOOTH, LATE EOCENE (40 MILLION YEARS OLD)

AN EXTINCT ‘BASILOSAURUS’ ANCIENT WHALE TOOTH, LATE EOCENE (40 MILLION YEARS OLD)the fossil collected from Morocco, the premolar tooth exhibiting good enamel, and characteristic large jagged serrations. Complete with both roots, displayed in Victorian glass topped specimen box,3.3 inches (8.4cms) long. 1.8 inches (4.5 cms) wide. 0.8 inches (1.9cms) deep.Basilosaurus, meaning ‘king lizard’ is a genus of large, predatory, prehistoric archaeocete whale from the late Eocene approximately 41.3 to 33.9 million years ago. At a maximum length of 20 metres, it was the top predator of it’s environment, it preyed upon sharks and other large fish, as well as marine mammals. The morphology of it’s teeth suggests that it was able to chew, unlike modern cetaceans which swallow their food whole.