5" Partial Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Upper Skull - South Dakota

Partial Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Upper Skull - South Dakota #270136

This is a 5" long, partial upper skull of an oreodont (Merycoidodon sp.). It was collected from the White River Formation in Pennington County, South Dakota and would be approximately 30-35 million years old. It contains several teeth and it's possible that the hole through the upper skull is a puncture wound from a predator.

Comes with a display stand to assist with presentation.

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.