Description:

North America, Western United States, South Dakota, Pennington County, Upper Brule Formation, Oligocene Period, ca. 33 to 30 million years ago. A fossilized partial skull upper from a prehistoric equine known as the three-toed horse, Mesohippus bairdi- the translation means "middle horse" due to its place on the timeline of horse evolution! This fragment is from part of the maxilla area and contains some of the orbit cavity and the premolars - these are an especially interesting glimpse into horse evolution and early development. Mesohippus teeth are squarer than predecessors to grind grasses and leaves, but they still retain some primitive triangularity from pulverizing fruits and berries. Size: 4" L x 3" W x 2" H (10.2 cm x 7.6 cm x 5.1 cm)

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection

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#172136

  • Condition: Partial skull fragment as shown. Professionally repaired visible break lines and infill on mouth palate. Teeth are well preserved. Old inventory numbers on surface.

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June 15, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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