4.75" Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Left Mandible - Wyoming

Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Left Mandible - Wyoming #197398

This is a 4.75" long jaw bone (mandible left side) of an oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsoni). It was collected from the White River Formation in Converse County, Wyoming and would be approximately 30-34 million years old. The medial side of the jaw has been exposed from the rock in an aesthetic fashion. It is in excellent condition with natural, well preserved teeth.

It is accompanied by an acrylic display stand.

The rock it was found in has been left attached to the jaw to provide stability to the portions of bone that are fragmented through the ramus. There is also a repaired crack with a small spot of gap fill where the rock broke through the body of the jaw during collection.

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.