Bargain, 6.8" Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull - South Dakota

Bargain, Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Skull - South Dakota #243588

This is a 6.8" wide, partial upper skull of an Oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsoni). It was collected from the White River Formation in Pennington County, South Dakota and would be approximately 30-35 million years old. The rock has been sculpted to allow for a stable, tilted presentation of the skull.

The roots of the teeth are still within the upper jaw, though the crowns have mostly broken away. There is heavy reconstruction of the left zygomatic arch.

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.