4.3" Partial, Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull - South Dakota

Partial, Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull - South Dakota #198225

This is a 4.3" tall, partial skull of Merycoidodon culbertsoni, an Oreodont. It was collected from the the Brule Formation in South Dakota and would be approximately 30-34 million years old. The bone preservation is wonderful with visible sutures and nerve/blood vessel pathways still present. Some of the molars of the maxilla are present, along with a portion of the upper skull and partial orbitals which are still filled with rock.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

There is some glue stabilization of the rock where cracks developed during collection.

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.