4.5" Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Partial Mandible - South Dakota

Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Partial Mandible - South Dakota #198227

This is a 4.5" long jaw (mandible) of an oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsoni). It was collected from the Brule Formation of the White River Badlands of South Dakota and would be approximately 30-34 million years old. All of the molars are natural and there has been no restoration of the bone.

It is accompanied by an acrylic display stand.

The rock it was found in has been left between the two halves to maintain stability and there are repaired cracks through the jaw where the rock broke during collection.

Artist's reconstruction of Merycoidodon. By Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com) Creative Commons License

Oreodonts are an extinct mammal most closely related to camels and pigs. They have no close relatives living today. They were herbivorous, 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.