18.2" Running Rhino (Subhyracodon) Skull - South Dakota

This is a beautiful, 18.2" long running rhino (Subhyracodon) complete skull from South Dakota. This specimen contains both the mandible (lower jaw) and the complete upper skull. The mandible and upper skull have been cleaned free of the rock that they were preserved in and sit nicely together as they were naturally associated when the rhino was still alive. The teeth are still preserved within their sockets and have not been replaced.

Mandible: The angles of the lower jaw have undergone significant restoration, though portions of the angle, ramus, heads and coronoid processes are still intact. The body of the mandible, as well as the distal end of the mandible have undergone crack repair, however there is no significant restoration to these areas aside from minor gap fill restoration in repaired cracks.

Upper Skull: The middle to anterior portions of the skull are intact and have mostly undergone restoration in the form of gap fill and crack repair. The distal end (2 inches) of the nasal bone have been restored, along with spots of restoration to the incisive bone. Much of the frontal bone was found fragmented, requiring crack repair and restoration in spots where the bone wasn't recovered. The left zygomatic arch has been completely restored, while the right zygomatic arch has repaired cracks and some restoration, but is mostly bone. The remaining portions of the skull (temporal bones, parietal bone and occipital bone) are overall restored, explaining the weight difference between the anterior and posterior ends of the skull.

The mandible measures 15.9" long by 8.2" tall. The upper skull is roughly 18.2" long. When the upper skull is placed in position on the mandible, the dimensions of the entire skull are 18.2 x 11.8 x 7.4".