Edmontosaurus Caudal Vertebrae - South Dakota

This is a nicely preserved mid-distal caudal (middle of tail) vertebra from Edmontosaurus annectens more commonly referred to as a "Duck Billed Dinosaur" It's 2.2 inches tall and nicely preserved with almost no erosion. There is a single repaired crack through the center but no restoration.

This specimen was found at a private ranch in Butte County, South Dakota this summer. It comes from a quarry known as the "Tooth Draw Quarry" that has produced many high quality dinosaur teeth over the past several decades. In the Late Cretaceous some 65 million years ago, this quarry was located in a sub-tropical floodplain that would have been similar to modern day coastal Louisiana. It consists of 2 meters of alternating sandstone and gravel, representing a river channel lag deposit. It contains many isolated dinosaur teeth including T-Rex, Nanotyrannus, Raptors and Triceratops, but teeth of this high quality are rare finds.