1.9" Brontothere Fossil Limb Bone Eocene Age Badlands S Dakota Titanothere COA

Location: White River Badlands, South Dakota

Weight: 4.2 Ounces

Dimensions: 2.7 Inches Long, 1.8 Inches Wide, 1.5 Inches Thick (Matrix)

Eocene Age, 56 to 33.9 million years Old.

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

The item pictured is the one you will receive. 

Brontothere – Megacerops coloradensis from Badlands National Park

Brontotheres were ancient mammals that roamed the area of Badlands National Park approximately 56–33.9 million years ago. In scientific literature, Badlands brontotheres are classified as Megacerops coloradensis. Sometimes called “titanotheres,” meaning “thunder beast,” their name reflects the tremendous sound a herd of these massive animals would have made while moving across prehistoric landscapes.

Brontotheres found in the Badlands would have measured around 8 feet tall and 16 feet long, comparable in size to a modern large rhinoceros or a small elephant. However, brontotheres began as dog-sized animals during the early Eocene epoch. Over the next 20 million years, they evolved and diversified, gradually increasing in size. By the late Eocene, they had reached the massive proportions reflected in the fossils discovered in the Badlands today.

One of the most distinctive features of brontotheres is their blunt paired horns, which protruded from their noses. These horns evolved from small nubs into impressive structures measuring over 3.3 feet (1 meter) long in adult Badlands specimens. Typically, males had larger horns than females. While these horns may bring modern rhinos to mind, brontotheres are only distant relatives of today’s rhinoceroses. True early rhino ancestors, such as Subhyracodon, also appear in the Badlands fossil record, representing the direct lineage of modern rhinos.