7.1" Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Partial Skull - Wyoming

This is a 7.1" long partial skull of Merycoidodon culbertsoni, an Oreodont. It was collected from the the Brule Formation in Wyoming and would be approximately 32-34 million years old. There are a few crack repairs and stabilized areas. While there doesn't look to be any significant bone restoration beyond minor gap fill, there are multiple locations where bone is missing. The left posterior skull is almost completely non-existent, however much of the rock has been left to assist with stability. The remaining bone is in excellent condition, along with the teeth.

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.