9.7" Cretaceous Fossil Crocodilian (Borealosuchus) Jaw - South Dakota

Cretaceous Fossil Crocodilian (Borealosuchus) Jaw - South Dakota #145758

This is a nicely preserved fossil crocodilian (Borealosuchus sternbergii) jaw from the 66 million year old Hell Creek Formation of Harding County, South Dakota. It was found in multiple pieces, requiring crack repair and some restoration in spots. The most significant restoration is at the middle of the jaw where a large section of bone wasn't recovered. The largest teeth appear to be from this jaw section, however each one has a repaired crack through it and required remounting. The smallest teeth likely aren't composite, though they have been remounted to the jaw as well.

This specimen comes with a custom metal display stand.

Borealosuchus was a mid-sized crocodylian that lived from the Late Cretaceous to Eocene in North America.

The Hell Creek Formation

Renowned for both its age and rich sedimentary layers, the Hell Creek Formation is one of the most intensively studied fossil-bearing regions on Earth. To date, scientists have documented 158 genera of animals and 64 genera of plants from its rocks, with new finds emerging regularly. Beyond iconic dinosaurs such as tyrannosaurs, ceratopsians, and hadrosaurs, the formation has produced an extraordinary array of life, including amphibians, reptiles, lizards, snakes, turtles, fish, sharks, birds, and early mammals. Together, these fossils provide the most complete picture of the ecosystems that thrived just before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.