Nice, 6" Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull - South Dakota

This is a nicely prepared Oreodont (Merycoidodon gracilis) skull from the White River Formation in South Dakota. It's 6" long and displays quite nicely, standing up on a flat surface without the need for a display stand. A really nice specimen.

There is only about 3-4% restoration on the skull, with some small patches around the premaxillary and anterior mandibular regions where there was some erosion.

Oreodonts (the common name for Merycoidodontoidea) are extinct mammals most closely related to camels and pigs, though they have no close relatives living today. They were herbivorous animals 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.