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.32" Fossil Hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus) Shed Tooth - Wyoming
This is the shed tooth of a hadrosaur (Edmontosaurus annectens), collected from the Lance (Creek) Formation of Wyoming. It is accompanied by an acrylic display case.
Hadrosaurs had a massive battery of small teeth (up to 900 in some species) in their mouth for grinding tough vegetation and they shed their teeth as they become worn. These shed teeth, often called "spitters", are small and block-like in appearance.
Hadrosaurs had a massive battery of small teeth (up to 900 in some species) in their mouth for grinding tough vegetation and they shed their teeth as they become worn. These shed teeth, often called "spitters", are small and block-like in appearance.
About Edmontosaurus
Edmontosaurus is one of the largest Hadrosaurs, and one of the most widespread: fossil remains have been found across western North America, from Colorado to northern Alaska. This large herbivore was about the same size as the contemporary predator Tyrannosaurus, reaching 39 feet in length and an average weight of about 6 tons. Named after Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta where its first fossils were discovered, Edmontosaurus was a gregarious terrestrial herbivore that ground up low-lying plant material with its large battery of ever-restoring teeth. Numerous skin impressions and mummified specimens show us that Edmontosaurus had scaly skin, and its forelimbs were enclosed in a fleshy "mitten" serving a purpose similar to a hoof. Edmontosaurus was a member of the Saurolophine clade of Hadrosaurs, meaning they had little to nonexistent crests on the backs of their skulls.
An artists reconstruction of Edmontosaurus. Creative Commons License by Natee Puttapipat
Edmontosaurus is one of the largest Hadrosaurs, and one of the most widespread: fossil remains have been found across western North America, from Colorado to northern Alaska. This large herbivore was about the same size as the contemporary predator Tyrannosaurus, reaching 39 feet in length and an average weight of about 6 tons. Named after Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta where its first fossils were discovered, Edmontosaurus was a gregarious terrestrial herbivore that ground up low-lying plant material with its large battery of ever-restoring teeth. Numerous skin impressions and mummified specimens show us that Edmontosaurus had scaly skin, and its forelimbs were enclosed in a fleshy "mitten" serving a purpose similar to a hoof. Edmontosaurus was a member of the Saurolophine clade of Hadrosaurs, meaning they had little to nonexistent crests on the backs of their skulls.
An artists reconstruction of Edmontosaurus. Creative Commons License by Natee Puttapipat
About The Lance Formation
The Lance Formation of Wyoming, which dates back to the Late Cretaceous period between 66 and 69 million years ago, is home to a wide variety of both dinosaur and assorted small vertebrate fossils. During the Cretaceous, this midwestern formation would have been comprised of streams connected to the large Western Interior Seaway that split continental North America in half down the midwest. As a result of the subtropical climate and frequent rainfall, life flourished both on land and in the sea. These wet environments created perfect scenarios for sediment deposition, making the resulting Lance Formation such a fertile fossil site.
Perhaps the most famous Lance resident would be Tyrannosaurus rex, the largest North American carnivore to ever live. However, other smaller theropods also roamed the American midwest in this subtropical coastal stream system, including the beaked Ornithomimus, a lanky running theropod with a build similar to a modern ostrich, as well as several small predatory troodonts such as Paronychodon and Pectinodon.
Herbivorous dinosaurs also took advantage of the abundance offered by this unique era. Armored ankylosaurs dwelt in herds, their safety assured by their numbers, their heavy bone plating protecting most of their bodies and even their eyelids, and huge bone clubs on the ends of their tails providing them with powerful offensive capabilities. Ceratopsians like the famous Triceratops also formed protective herds, guarding their necks with frills and horns. Their smaller relatives, the dome-headed pachycephalosaurs, were also well represented in the area. Hadrosaurs, duck-billed titans with huge batteries of plant-grinding teeth in elongated snouts, are also well known from the region.
In addition to dinosaurs, a wide variety of fishes, amphibians, lizards, snakes, turtles, champsosaurs, crocodilians, and pterosaurs have been found in the formation.
The Lance Formation of Wyoming, which dates back to the Late Cretaceous period between 66 and 69 million years ago, is home to a wide variety of both dinosaur and assorted small vertebrate fossils. During the Cretaceous, this midwestern formation would have been comprised of streams connected to the large Western Interior Seaway that split continental North America in half down the midwest. As a result of the subtropical climate and frequent rainfall, life flourished both on land and in the sea. These wet environments created perfect scenarios for sediment deposition, making the resulting Lance Formation such a fertile fossil site.
Perhaps the most famous Lance resident would be Tyrannosaurus rex, the largest North American carnivore to ever live. However, other smaller theropods also roamed the American midwest in this subtropical coastal stream system, including the beaked Ornithomimus, a lanky running theropod with a build similar to a modern ostrich, as well as several small predatory troodonts such as Paronychodon and Pectinodon.
Herbivorous dinosaurs also took advantage of the abundance offered by this unique era. Armored ankylosaurs dwelt in herds, their safety assured by their numbers, their heavy bone plating protecting most of their bodies and even their eyelids, and huge bone clubs on the ends of their tails providing them with powerful offensive capabilities. Ceratopsians like the famous Triceratops also formed protective herds, guarding their necks with frills and horns. Their smaller relatives, the dome-headed pachycephalosaurs, were also well represented in the area. Hadrosaurs, duck-billed titans with huge batteries of plant-grinding teeth in elongated snouts, are also well known from the region.
In addition to dinosaurs, a wide variety of fishes, amphibians, lizards, snakes, turtles, champsosaurs, crocodilians, and pterosaurs have been found in the formation.
SPECIES
Edmontosaurus annectens
LOCATION
Niobrara County, Wyoming
FORMATION
Lance (Creek) Formation
SIZE
.32" long
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#293794
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