Description
Brontotherium
- Titanothere (Megacerops?)
- Eocene Age
- Chadron Formation
- Shannon County, South Dakota
- Jaw Specimen measures 7.5″ wide x 6.25″ tall x 1.88″ thick
- MORE Fossil Mammals for Sale
Brontotheres were the largest mammals in North America as well as Asia throughout the Eocene. In this case from around 53 to 34 million years ago. By the middle to late Eocene, Brontotheres had developed long skulls with bony hornlike protrusions. Their bodies were massive, and superficially looked like a rhino, however they had more elephant like legs. The largest genera in the late Eocene was the dual horned Megacerops, which reached heights around 8 feet at the shoulder and 15 feet in length. The teeth of Brontotheres are very large and rectangular with a distinct chewing surface. Some larger Brontothere teeth are over 4 inches wide which made them especially ideal for chewing vegetation.
By Nobu Tamura
