Agriochoerus Oreodont Skull from White River

Chocolate Colored Beauty

Cf Agriochoerus sp

Order Artiodactyla Family Agriochoeridae

Geological Time: Eocene

Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Fossil is 90 mm tall, 75 mm wide, 160 mm in length

Fossil Site: Arner Ranch, White River Badlands, Sioux County, Nebraska

Code: FGF01

Price: Sold


Agriochoerus Oreodont Skull from White RiverDescription: When one thinks of chocolate Oreos one typically calls a tasty cookie to mind. This, however, is an Oreodont, colloquially termed an Oreo. Those from Arner Ranch often have this distinctive rich chocolate color. The Oredonts are an exclusively North American assemblage that became extinct during the Pliocene. They hold a position intermediate between the Ruminants and the suidine Pachyderms. Indeed, the 19th Century Agriochoerus Fossilpaleontologist Joesph Leidy referred to them as “ruminant hogs”. There are two families within the Superfamily Merycoidodontoidea: the Merycoidodontidae and the Agriochoeridae. This one is believed to be a member of the genus Agriochoerus, which was thought to have been a tree climber due to its clawed feet. Notice the distinctive canine teeth, well preserved in this specimen, giving the jaws a somewhat wolf like appearance. The term Oreodont means “mountain teeth”, and is derived from the shape of the molars seen here. While somewhat distorted due to compression, it is an excellent example with restoration primarily confined to the teeth and sagittal crest.

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