2.4" Brontothere Fossil Ankle Bone Eocene Age Badlands S Dakota Titanothere COA

Location: White River Badlands, South Dakota

Weight: 3.7 Ounces

Dimensions: 2.4 Inches Long, 2.2 Inches Wide, 1.2 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 roamed the area now known as Badlands National Park between approximately 56 and 33.9 million years ago. In scientific literature, Badlands brontotheres are classified as Megacerops coloradensis. They are sometimes called “titanotheres,” meaning “thunder beasts,” a reference to the powerful sound that a herd of these massive animals would have made as they moved through prehistoric landscapes.

Brontotheres in the Badlands reached impressive proportions, standing around 8 feet tall and measuring up to 16 feet long, similar in size to a modern large rhinoceros or a small elephant. However, early Eocene brontotheres were only dog-sized. Over the next 20 million years, these mammals evolved and diversified, gradually increasing in size until they reached the massive dimensions seen in late Eocene Badlands fossils.

One of the most distinctive features of brontotheres is their blunt paired horns that protrude from the nose. These horns developed from small nubs into massive structures that could exceed 3.3 feet (1 meter) in length. Horn size generally varies between sexes, with males having larger horns than females. While their appearance may evoke comparisons to modern rhinos, brontotheres are only distant relatives. True rhino ancestors, such as Subhyracodon, are also found in the Badlands fossil record, representing the direct lineage of modern rhinoceroses.