The jagged teeth of a hefty predator that lived in our waters 80 million years ago have been discovered in a Hawkes Bay forest.
The fossil remains of a mosasaur - a large marine reptile that was a dominant predator toward the end of the Cretaceous period - have been identified by experts at GNS Science after being earlier found in Maungataniwha Native Forest.
![These fossilised teeth from a mosasaur - a marine predator that lived in our waters 80 million years ago - have been discovered in a Hawkes Bay forest. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/FEZOYUKAKNL2KX2BYKXUBNBWI4.jpg?auth=ddb4d3b34483fe6685955c0d214dbb211fb46b00b75b7ec6d8b73369ffa4dbcb&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Earlier this year, Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust forest manager Pete Shaw and Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Helen Jonas had been searching for whio (blue duck) up a small stream, when they spotted a rock with a lump of bone in it.
Ms Jonas was keen to see if the bone extended through the rock, so Mr Shaw jumped into a nearby pool to fetch a branch with which to lever the rock loose.