Partial Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull - Nebraska

This is a skull of Merycoidodon culbertsoni an Oreodont. It was collected from the the Brule Formation in Nebraska and would be approximately 32-34 million years old. The skull is fairly complete. It is missing the right zygomatic arch and a portion of the premaxilla. The skull also has a little geological distortion. Overall it is a beautiful piece with nice smooth bone.

This specimen was collected by the Black Hills Institute.

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.