LMX090 - RARE MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE FOSSIL MANATEE MANDIBLE WITH ORIGINAL ROOTED TEETH

Product Description

ITEM # 

LMX090

ID

Trichechus manatus

FOUND

North Florida, U.S.A.

AGE

MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE:  781K - 126K years ago

SIZE

5.75" long x 4.25" high overall, each molar .65" long

CONDITION

NO REPAIR, TEETH GLUED TO KEEP IN SOCKETS,
NO RESTORATION - ALL ORIGINAL TEETH
AS FOUND.

NOTE

EXTREMELY RARE!  AMAZING DISPLAY WITH 
EMERGING DENTITION IN THE REAR SHOWING
HOW SIRENIANS GROW THEIR TEETH.

INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX - Actual Item - One Only

Comes with a certificate of authenticity / information sheet

This is one of the rarest prehistoric manatee fossils you could hope for besides a complete skull.  From a Middle Pleistocene river deposit in Florida, this is a partial right mandible of a prehistoric manatee called  Trichechus manatus.  The roots of the molars can be seen and there is a newly emerging molar in the back of the jaw that affords an exciting view of the development and growth of this animals teeth, throughout its life in the same way elephants had their teeth emerge in life.   The Sirenia are thought to have evolved from four-legged land mammals over 60 million years ago, with the closest living relatives being the  Proboscidea (elephants) and Hyracoidea (hyraxes).

The specimen is in superb condition with minor repair, all original molars as found and NO RESTORATION OR FABRICATION.  ONE OF THE RAREST MANATEE FOSSILS ONE COULD FIND.   

Trichechus manatus possessed an average of seven teeth in each side of the jaw at any one time.  The teeth are lophodont in nature, that is, their cusps are connected by ridges.  Similar to elephants, trichechids experienced horizontal tooth replacement with new teeth emerging from the back of the jaw and progressively moving forward to replace worn teeth that were ejected or 'spit' from mouth.  This method of continual tooth replacement made it ideal for manatees to chew and feed upon plentiful sea grasses.  

Manatees are members of the group of aquatic mammals called Sirenians.  Only two genera live today and are nearly extinct.  One is Trichechus with three living species in the world and one in Florida.  The other genera is Dugong with only one living species.  A third genus was living as recently as two hundred years ago.  Hydrodamalis once lived near the coast of the Bering Sea but was hunted to extinction. 

Sirenians first appeared in the Eocene and eventually spread world-wide through various time periods mostly preferring warm water environments.  Interestingly enough, Florida is the only area in the world that can boast of continual habitation of sirenians since the Eocene!  Fossil remains in the state represent all known sea cow families that ever existed!

Due to the extreme buoyancy of the creature, sea cows have very dense bones that lack marrow cavities or spongy internal structure.  This allows their skeletons to act as ballast thereby offsetting their buoyant body mass.  They are exclusively herbivores and are highly docile creatures allowing human contact in the wild.   

ULTRA-RARE NEARLY COMPLETE MANDIBLE WITH ROOTED MOLARS INCLUDING AN EMERGING BACK MOLAR -  STUNNING EDUCATIONAL DISPLAY!