Fossil Print of Ichthyosaurus Skeleton and Teeth, c.1850, by Orbigny

Antique print titled 'Dinoceras Laticeps'. Original lithograph of the lower jaw of a Dinoceras Laticeps, a large extinct mammal. This print originates from volume 10 of 'Monographs of the United States Geological Survey...

Antique print titled 'Tinoceras Pugnax'. Original lithograph of the lower jaw and teeth of a Tinoceras Pugnax, an extinct genus of herbivorous mammal. This print originates from volu...

Antique print of the Santo Domingo crocodile and a crocodile skull. This print originates from 'Bilderbuch fur Kinder' by F.J. Bertuch. Friedrich Johan...

Antique print titled 'Tinoceras Ingens'. Original lithograph of the skull and teeth of a Tinoceras Pugnax, a large extinct mammal. This print originates from volume 10 of 'Monographs...

A wonderful example of a Cretaceous mosasaur. The original Halisaurus arambourgi mosasaur mandibles and vertebrae, measuring 2.9ft, include a well-preserved, near-complete skull, low...

Upper Cretaceous, about 70-65 million years ago (Maastrichtian) Morocco The skull is reconstructed in good proportions with fossil pieces found in a phosphate mine in Morocco. I att...

This outstanding fossilised skeleton is that of the ancestral crocodile species Steneosaurus bollensis that lived during the early Jurassic period. The skeleton, complete with armoured plates, has been exquisitely preserved and recovered from the Holzmaden Oil Shale of south Germany. The crocodile was once buried in fine, muddy sediment 195 million years ago at the bottom of the Tethys Ocean, which once existed between Europe and Africa. The calm, deep water provided a rare anoxic (without oxygen) environment, which prevented the skeleton from any significant decomposition before burial. The mud has since been compressed into oil shale, leaving the immense skeleton completely in-tact. This specimen is one of the few skeletons of Steneosaurus bollensis ever to be discovered. We can deduce much about the life of this reptile from the size and perfect preservation of the piece. Similar to present-day crocodiles, we can see that the two front limbs of the Steneosaurus are much shorter than the back two. This indicates that crocodile ancestors were bipedal; indeed, we believe that crocodiles evolved from the same reptile species as the dinosaurs and airborne pterosaurs. Dinosaurs ruled the lands during the late Triassic and early Jurassic. This made terrestrial life increasingly difficult for ancestral crocodiles, as there were many predators and prey was scarce. However, the seas were rich in fish, shellfish, starfish, crabs, squid… You can even see fossil belemnite guards (bullet shells of squid-like organisms) and the beautiful spiral shells of ammonites preserved around the crocodile skeleton...

'Brontops Robustus, Marsh 1/4' Lithograph by Emil Crisand after the drawing by Frederick Berger, under the supervision of Othniel Charles Marsh. Depicts dinosaur fossil...