Edmontosaurus Skull
Late Cretaceous (approx. 66 million years ago), Niobrara Co., Wyoming
Auction Closed
July 17, 03:28 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Edmontosaurus Skull
Edmontosaurus annectens
Late Cretaceous (approx. 66 million years ago)
Niobrara Co., Wyoming
41 x 20 x 13½ inches (104.1 x 50.8 x 34.3 cm), 25¼ inches (64.1 cm) tall on custom metal stand. 98 pounds (44.5 kg).
The skull is from a sizable adult individual, which has been accurately articulated and mounted on a custom stand. The bone surfaces are preserved in good detail, exhibiting little distortion and retaining much of their original shape and character. Restoration and repair work is discernable. The inner surfaces (ventral palate and basal) are bonded together in a manner that covers much of the interior or underside of the skull.
THE SKULL OF AN EDMONTOSAURUS, ONE OF THE LARGEST DINOSAURS OF THE LATE CRETACEOUS
Named for the city of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada where one of the first specimens was discovered, Edmontosaurus specimens have been found all over North America. Capable of walking on both two legs and four legs, Edmontosaurus was an herbivore and is known to have traveled in herds along the coasts.
Edmontosaurus annectens were some of the largest hadrosaurs and could grow up to 40 feet long and weigh over six tons. These duck-billed dinosaurs were a favorite prey of the great Tyrannosaurids of that time including Albertosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. Edmontosaurus had incredibly thick skin to help ward off its predators, and there are some fossils that show evidence of healed wounds from Tyrannosaurus rex attacks. As a result of its especially thick skin, paleontologists have an idea of what Edmontosaurus looked like due to skin impressions and, in some cases, mummified tissue.