6.9" Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Partial Skull - South Dakota

Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Partial Skull - South Dakota #269940

This is a 6.9" long, partial skull of an oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsoni) collected from the White River Formation in South Dakota, and would be approximately 30-35 million years old.

It is accompanied by an acrylic display stand to assist with presentation.

All of the bones/teeth present are natural and unrestored.

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.