4.8" Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull Display - South Dakota

Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull Display - South Dakota #284367

This is a nicely prepared skull of Merycoidodon, a genus of oreodont from the oligocene-aged White River Formation of Pennington County, South Dakota. The upper skull and mandible have been prepared as two separate pieces that sit on the accompanied stand/base in articulated fashion.

Upper Skull: The left zygomatic arch has been reconstructed, along with a portion of the left orbital. Both canines and all of the incisors have also been restored, in addition to that area of the maxilla.

Mandible: There are several repairs and spots of minor gap fill through the left side of the jaw. The right side of the jaw also has a repaired crack between the angle and ramus.

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.