4.5" Brontothere Fossil Vertebrae Bone Eocene Age Badlands S Dakota Titanothere COA

Location: White River Badlands, South Dakota

Weight: 2 Pounds 4.1 Ounces

Dimensions: 4.5 Inches Long, 4 Inches Wide, 2.8 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 of Badlands National Park

Brontotheres were ancient mammals that roamed the area now known as Badlands National Park approximately 56 to 33.9 million years ago. In scientific literature, they are classified as Megacerops coloradensis and are sometimes called “titanotheres,” meaning “thunder beasts.” This name reflects the imagined rumble of a herd of these massive animals moving across prehistoric landscapes.

Fossil evidence shows that Badlands brontotheres reached heights of around 8 feet and lengths of up to 16 feet, roughly the size of a modern large rhinoceros or small elephant. However, early Eocene brontotheres were only dog-sized. Over the course of 20 million years, they evolved and diversified, gradually increasing in size until achieving the massive proportions preserved in late Eocene fossils.

One of the most distinctive features of brontotheres is their paired blunt horns protruding from the nose. These horns developed from small nubs into enormous structures, sometimes exceeding 3.3 feet (1 meter) in length. Horn size generally varies by sex, with males sporting larger horns than females. While these horns resemble those of modern rhinos, brontotheres are only distantly related. True rhinoceros ancestors, such as Subhyracodon, are also found in the Badlands fossil record, representing the evolutionary lineage of modern rhinos.