3.8" Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Partial Maxilla - South Dakota

Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Partial Maxilla - South Dakota #128141

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

This is a 3.8" long partial maxilla of Merycoidodon culbertsoni, an Oreodont from the White River Formation of Pennington County, South Dakota. 5 complete teeth are present and natural suture lines can be seen throughout the skull. This is an excellent Oreodont specimen and it is accompanied by an acrylic display stand.

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.