An opalised fossil shell showcasing giant teeth marks from the prehistoric marine beast showcased in Jurassic World has gone on display at the National Dinosaur Museum in Canberra.
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The stunning exhibit was snapped up in Tousson, Arizona, in February at the world's largest fossil show.
Education manager Phil Hore said the museum's directors, who all own geological businesses, travel to the show annually to buy artefacts for the museum and their own collections.
"Occasionally one of these shells show up – they are from Canada," he said.
"They are always a hot topic, especially if you've got a complete one, they are just stunning.
"This season they happened to see one and the directors got together and said, 'let's go for it', and they managed to get it."
The ammonite shell features Mosasaurus teeth marks about the size of 20 cent pieces.
Mr Hore said the shells were part of primitive squid common in the seas that would have served as marine appetiser.
"When the opalescence captures the sun it just goes off. The circumference of the teeth marks are about the size of a 20 cent piece – so quite big teeth," he said.
"Some of the Mosasaurs were up to 60 feet – 20 metres - long so they were big."
Mosasaurs ruled the oceans in the Cretaceous period and in Jurassic World were showcased devouring animals.
Mr Hore said Mosasaurs would feast on sharks and each other.
"These things were nasty," he said.
"Some of their skulls could get up to 2.4 metres, long."
The museum has a large piece of Mosasaur jaw on display.
The opalised shell is one of the latest additions to a prehistoric collection which has grown rapidly in the past three years. An estimated $1 million has been spent on the museum's display.
"I would argue that it is the biggest display of prehistoric material in the Southern Hemisphere," Mr Hore said. "We were pretty good before but with all this new stuff it is beyond a shadow of a doubt."
