Oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsoni) Jaw Section

This is a 3.9 inch long jaw section of Merycoidodon culbertsoni an Oreodont. It was collected from the Brule Formation in South Dakota and would be approximately 32-34 million years old. There are a few repaired cracks.

This specimen was collected, prepared and identified 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.