Re: marine vertebrate collections

[Danvarner@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/3/01 9:04:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time, KiernanCR@aol.com 
writes:


Thom Holmes wrote: 

>>Also, the Trenton State Museum has a 
splendid mosasaur skull, one of the largest anywhere, but I'm uncertain of 
its geographic origin.<< 

NJSM 11053, probably _Mosasaurus maximus_  It is indeed a very large and 
beautiful skull. I believe the specimen originated from Maastrichtian beds in 
New Jersey. 


       Yes, it's from the Navesink Formation. The New Jersey State Museum 
also has another partial skull. Since the paper is out, we should probably 
start calling M. maximus M. hoffmanni. I hate to see such a cool name go, but 
that's paleobiz. A Maastricht chalk hoffmanni skull was recently exhibited 
here next to the New Jersey specimen in the "Dinosaurs, Ammonites and 
Asteroids" traveling show. Looked the same to me (except for preservation). 
One thing that surprised me was that both skulls seemed (to me, again) to 
have a distinct underbite like Plotosaurus. DV