Gavialimimus almaghribensis, The Gharial mosasaur of the Moroccan phosphates

[TethysaurusUK]

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14772019.2020.1818322?journalCode=tjsp20

Finally, 'Platecarpus' ptychodon has a re-assessment and shows it is a unique taxon in the mosasaur assemblage.

[Justin_]

Nice artwork by Tatsuya Shinmura.

[Dynomikegojira]

Funny thing is when I first saw the name I thought they discovered a new spinosaurid perfect name for one but none the less interesting.

[Concavenator]

@TethysaurusUK just out of curiosity, what do you mean by Moroccan phosphates?  . Certainly I have studied chemistry and biochemistry so I know that phosphates are compounds derived from the phosphoric acid and that the phosphate group is PO4 (3-), and judging by the context I'm guessing you mean some kind of solid material, but what does it look like? Do you have any links or pictures?

[Concavenator]

S @Stolpergeist Thanks!! I'm just so used to seeing phosphates in biochemistry (ATP, GTP, kinases, phosphatases, and in a lot of compounds from metabolic pathways) that one almost forgets that they can also appear in inorganic chemistry 

Onto the topic, I do like that mosasaur illustration. Based on the countershading coloration discovery from years ago, I don't envision mosasaurids (or any other marine reptiles) not having black, at least partially.

[TethysaurusUK]

@TethysaurusUK just out of curiosity, what do you mean by Moroccan phosphates?  . Certainly I have studied chemistry and biochemistry so I know that phosphates are compounds derived from the phosphoric acid and that the phosphate group is PO4 (3-), and judging by the context I'm guessing you mean some kind of solid material, but what does it look like? Do you have any links or pictures?

The Moroccan phosphates are more of a short/nickname for the Oulad Abdoun and Ganntour Basin deposits (in particular, though there are more such basins). There are made up of some limestone, phosphatic layers, marlya and calcerous layers. The phosphatic beds of these deposits are infamous for producing a great amount of the fossils known from the basins of Moroccos.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Moroccan+Phosphate+fossils&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjItYP5843sAhVE_IUKHcxXAywQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=Moroccan+Phosphate+fossils&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECCMQJzoCCAA6BAgAEBg6BAgAEB5Q8LgCWNPTAmDV2QJoAHAAeACAAW2IAeUFkgEDOC4xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=yupyX8ioIMT4lwTMr43gAg&bih=657&biw=1366&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB746GB746&safe=strict#imgrc=vLY46pUbiouazM

https://www.google.com/search?q=Moroccan+Phosphate&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjhqI6P9I3sAhXJw4UKHRGrD7MQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=Moroccan+Phosphate&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzIECCMQJzICCAAyBAgAEBhQhqwGWIO3BmCaugZoAHAAeACAAYUDiAGoCZIBBzQuMi4xLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=-OpyX-HMM8mHlwSR1r6YCw&bih=657&biw=1366&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB746GB746&safe=strict#imgrc=AN5eQ5vGjkxKFM

[Halichoeres]

So these were found as a result of phosphate mining? Fertilizer for our crops, fossils for our museums.

[TethysaurusUK]

So these were found as a result of phosphate mining? Fertilizer for our crops, fossils for our museums.

Not exactly, the 'fossil miners' mine for the fossils for commercial purposes, while the phosphate miners mine the phosphate for the commercial purposes such as fertilizer. The 'fossil miners' then sell the fossils off to Palaeontologists and/or tourists.