3.1" Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull Section - South Dakota

Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull Section - South Dakota #146174

This is a 3.1" long skull section of Merycoidodon culbertsoni, an Oreodont from the White River Formation of Pennington County, South Dakota.

There are several beautifully preserved teeth still within this skull section. There is a repaired crack through the left orbital.

Artist's reconstruction of Merycoidodon. By Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com) Creative Commons License

Oreodonts are an extinct mammal most closely related to camels and pigs. They have no close relatives living today. They were herbivorous, with short faces and fang-like canine teeth. About the size of a sheep, they roamed the plains of North America in huge numbers during the Oligocene period.