Oreodont (Merycoidodon gracilis) Jaw Section

This is a 3 inch long jaw section of Merycoidodon gracilis an Oreodont. It was collected from the Scenic Member of the Brule Formation in South Dakota and would be approximately 32-34 million years old.

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.