2.94" Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) Tooth - South Dakota

Large, high quality Tyrannosaurus rex teeth like this are extremely rare and are probably one of the most collectable fossils in the world. They tend to get snapped up pretty quickly when they hit the market. This one is 2.94" in length and retains most of the serrations along the inner edge, and about half on the outer edge. There are root etchings to the enamel on both sides and some interesting wear facets to the tip. There are a few repaired cracks, but the tooth has not been restored.

This tooth was found at a private ranch in Butte County, South Dakota this summer. It comes from a quarry known as the "Tooth Draw Quarry" that has produced many high quality dinosaur teeth over the past several decades. In the Late Cretaceous some 65 million years ago, this quarry was located in a sub-tropical floodplain that would have been similar to modern day coastal Louisiana. It consists of 2 meters of alternating sandstone and gravel, representing a river channel lag deposit. It has produced many isolated dinosaur teeth including T-Rex, Nanotyrannus, Raptors and Triceratops, but true T-Rex teeth especially large ones are rare finds.

The last two photos show the collecting location.