Natural History
Natural History
The Complete Fossilized Skull of an Ancient Bison
No reserve
Lot Closed
December 3, 07:14 PM GMT
Estimate
3,500 - 4,500 USD
Lot Details
Description
The Complete Fossilized Skull of an Ancient Bison
Bison antiquus
Late Pleistocene (approx. 10,000 years ago)
Anoka County, Minnesota
23 inches (58.4 cm) from front to back, 26 inches (66 cm) from horn tip to horn tip. 22½ inches tall on custom stand.
Fossil skull and mandible both complete and in overall excellent condition. The rich black-brown patina is rarely seen in Ice Age fossils.
A direct ancestor of today's modern American bison, Bison antiquus roamed the continent from Alaska to Mexico until their extinction around 10,000 years ago.
This extinct species of bovine grew to be a quarter larger than extant bison, reaching sizes of nearly eight feet tall, 15 feet (4.6 meters) long, and tipping the scales at upwards of 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg). As such, this specimen—unearthed in the 1980s from a Late Pleistocene peat bog deposit—represents one of the largest megafauna icons ever seen on the North American continent.