Description

Early Cretaceous

Tegana Formation

Taouz, Morocco

8mm claw.

Dinosaur, Theropod.

In general a vertebrate other than a bird has fewer claws than teeth.  The keratin sheath of the claw disintegrates after death leaving the bony claw core which fragments as well from moisture infiltration and external erosion.  This leaves a fossil claw a rare find whether it’s a bird or dinosaur.

Claws are generally not identifiable to genus because they follow rather basic shapes.  With the diversity of theropods unknown in this particular deposit, identification veers into the impossible.