North America, Western United States, South Dakota, Pennington, Brule Formation, Oligocene, ca. 33 to 30 million years ago. A fossilized upper skull 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! These animals were petite in comparison to their modern relatives - this upper is easily picked up in one hand, but the shift towards equines of today is quite pronounced in the teeth- here the well-preserved premolars can be viewed from the side, their teeth squarer than predecessors to grind grasses and leaves, but they still retain some primitive triangularity from pulverizing fruits and berries. This fossil rests on a flat base, as a perfect display piece and cornerstone specimen of horse evolution and early development. Size: 9" L x 4" W x 3" H (22.9 cm x 10.2 cm x 7.6 cm)
Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection
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#172125
Condition
Professionally prepared and areas of restoration: nasal bone process, front incisor teeth and bone, zygomatic arch, and frontal bone. Clear fixative coating to bones. Upper skull only with great preservation to premolars / molars.