Central Asia, China, Miocene, ca. 35 million years ago. A huge example of a fossilized rhinoceros skull, from the species Chilotherium andersoni, with fantastic preservation of the lower jaw which shows the large, tusk-like second incisors, each on either side of a wide diastema - the space/gap between the teeth. Wedged beneath the right maxilla is a small antelope or deer jaw, frozen there in the fossilization process. We see similar jumbling of fossils when a group of animals have been buried together in someplace like a mud pit or a flood, as at the Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas, USA. This fellow likely perished in a similar event. The Chilotherium genus lived throughout Eurasia from the Miocene to the Pliocene. During this time period, grazing animals like horses, rhinoceroses, and hippos lived in vast grasslands, taking advantage of the new biome. This is an impressive skull from a rarely seen species. Size: 22" W x 16.5" H (55.9 cm x 41.9 cm)
Provenance: private Redwood City, California, USA collection
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#147319
Condition
Repaired on tip of nasal structure, back and front of lower jaw. Small areas of restoration, less than 10% of the total, mainly along the repair lines. One part of lower jaw is lost from one side. Form is generally in nice condition.