Fossil Oreodont (Merycoidodon) Disarticulated Skull -South Dakota

This 10" wide section of rock contains a partial, disarticulated skull of an oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsoni). It was collected from the White River Badlands Group (Brule Formation) in Pennington County, South Dakota and would be approximately 30-35 million years old. The base of the rock has been cut flat to allow for a stable, aesthetic presentation of the skull elements.

Including the posterior angle fragment, the mandible measures 4.6" long.

The exposed bones include the upper skull with molars, premolars, and canines. The right side of the mandible can also be found exposed from the rock, along with a variety of bones scattered throughout. There is no restoration to any of the bones.

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.