15.4" Hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus) Rib Bone (Bite Mark) - South Dakota

Hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus) Rib Bone (Bite Mark) - South Dakota #192623

This is a 15.4" long Hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus annectens) partial rib bone from the Hell Creek Formation of Harding County, South Dakota. While the bone was found in pieces within the rock, the preservation was nice enough that it didn't require a significant amount of restoration to repair. The only restoration is in three spots along one edge to fill in gaps where the bone wasn't recovered.

A really cool feature of this bone is the large bite mark at the distal end. The bite force was so powerful that it literally bent and fractured the bone prior to preservation.

Hadrosaurs

are frequently referred to as duck-billed dinosaurs and are members of the Ornithischian family Hadrosauridae. They were fairly common herbivores that roamed Asia, Europe, and North America during the Upper Cretaceous Period. Many species of Hadrosaurs had distinctive crests on their heads, some of which had air-filled chambers that may have produced a distinct sound. These crests may have been used for both audio and visual display purposes.

Because of its age and sedimentary composition, the Hell Creek Formation has become one of the most paleontologically studied areas in the world. 158 genera of animals and 64 genera of plants are known from the formation and new discoveries are made frequently. In addition to Tyrannosaurs, Ceratopsids, and Hadrosaurs, the formation has yielded remains of amphibians, reptiles, lizards, snakes and turtles, fish and sharks, avian and non-avian dinosaurs, and mammals. The Hell Creek Formation gives the most complete understanding of the environment just before the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.

More about Hadrosaurs