LM60-001 - RARE ELDERLY PLIOCENE GOMPHOTHERE JAW WITH ORIGINAL FINAL MOLAR SET PRIOR TO DEATH

Product Description

ITEM # 

LM60-001

ID

Cuvieronius tropicus

FOUND

Suwannee River - Florida, U.S.A.

AGE

PLIOCENE:  5.3 - 1.8 million years ago

SIZE

16.5" wide x 16" long overall
with molars 8.25" and 7.75" in length

CONDITION

VERY MINOR REPAIR AND CRACK-FILLING TO BONE
BOTH MOLARS ORIGINAL AND ANTERIOR DAMAGE
IS FROM FEEDING, NOT MISHANDLING.  THIS IS THE
FINAL SET OF MOLARS - SPECIMEN FROM ELDERLY
PREHISTORIC GOMPHOTHERE ELEPHANT.

NOTE

EXCEEDINGLY RARE!  AN IMPORTANT PRIZE 
FOSSIL FOR PREHISTORIC ELEPHANT COLLECTIONS.

Actual Item - One Only

Comes with a certificate of authenticity / information sheet

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This is both a VERY rare and uncommon proboscidean fossil.  It is the full lower jaw of a Pliocene era Gomphothere Cuvieronius tropicus, a bizarre prehistoric ancestor to the modern day elephant.  Such a fossil jaw with its original teeth is rare but what makes this specimen especially interesting is that this is from an  elderly Cuvieronius tropicus  in its final years of life with its LAST set of molars still in place. 

This superb specimen presents both, a very impressive display as well as a highly important educational lesson in the life of prehistoric elephantids.  The massive molars in the bone are the original teeth and the final set of molars the gomphothere grew prior to death.  The alveoli in the bone, anterior to the molars, are from the previous set of molars and can be seen to be in a state of growing closed.  The furthest anterior openings in jaw are where the lower tusks emerged.    The jaw is not a composite of two different sides from different gomphotheres but is 100% original with only minor repair and restoration. The front of the molars are not broken from handling damage or carelessness when this specimen was initially collected, but from the slow disintegration of the molars as they are worn when the gomphothere was alive.  In other words, the teeth are not damaged but are in their final state of natural feeding wear and were exactly as they are now, when this beast perished millions of years ago. 

Gomphothere fossils are very rare.  Even a single molar is a prize find but a full jaw with both original molars is something usually reserved for museum or educational institution collections.   Very few specimens like this reside in private ownership making this a definite recommendation and a unique offer to individual collectors.   GOMPHOTHERE FOSSILS ARE THE RAREST OF ALL ELEPHANT FOSSILS!!!