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

Location: White River Badlands, South Dakota

Weight: 3.7 Ounces

Dimensions: 1.9 Inches Long, 1.8 Inches Wide, 1.3 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. 

Brontotheres were ancient mammals that inhabited the region now known as Badlands National Park between approximately 56 and 33.9 million years ago. In scientific literature, Badlands brontotheres are identified as Megacerops coloradensis. They are sometimes referred to as “titanotheres,” a name meaning “thunder beast”, inspired by the powerful sound that a herd of these massive animals would have made as they moved across prehistoric landscapes.

Brontotheres from the Badlands would have reached impressive dimensions, measuring approximately 8 feet tall and 16 feet long, similar in size to a modern large rhinoceros or a small elephant. However, these giant mammals started much smaller—dog-sized during the early Eocene epoch. Over the course of 20 million years, brontotheres evolved and diversified, gradually increasing in size until, by the late Eocene, they reached the massive proportions seen in Badlands fossils today.

One of the most distinctive characteristics of brontotheres is their paired blunt horns that projected from the nose. These horns developed from small nubs in early species into the large structures observed in Badlands specimens, sometimes extending over 3.3 feet (1 meter) in length. Horn size generally varies between sexes, with males possessing larger horns than females. While their appearance may resemble modern rhinos, brontotheres are only distantly related to today’s rhinoceroses. True rhino ancestors, such as Subhyracodon, also appear in the Badlands fossil record, representing the direct lineage of modern rhino species.