Struthiomimus
Dinosaur Bone
Class Sauropsida,
Superorder Dinosauria, Order Saurischia, Suborder Theropoda, Family Ornithomimidae
Geological
Time: Late Cretaceous
Size: Specimen
is 57 mm in length (2 1/4”)
Fossil Site:
Hell Creek Formation, Harding County, South Dakota
Fossil Code:
PFV505
Price: $155.00
Description:
Struthiomimus is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaur from the late
Cretaceous. It was a long-legged, ostrich-like dinosaur. The bipedal
Struthiomimus stood about 4.3 metres (14 ft) long and 1.4 metres
(4.6 ft) tall at the hips and weighed around 330 lbs. Struthiomimus
is one of the more common small dinosaurs. Its abundance suggests
that it was a herbivore or omnivore rather than a carnivore. As
with other ornithomimids, it had a small slender head on a long
neck (which made up about 40% of the length of the body in front
of the hips). Its eyes were large and its jaws were
toothless. Its feet were elongate, and the metatarsals were tightly
appressed, with three toes tipped by claws with very slight curvature.
Recently
the Fossil Mall associates purchased a large lot of dinosaur, reptile
and mammal material from our primary collector. He lives in Montana
and has over fifteen years of field collecting experience. Ten days
were spent in obtaining this lot. The fossils were discovered in
Cretaceous stream channel deposits. Some were surface collected
as float, many were partially eroded out of the low-lying surrounding
gullies and bad lands. The work of discovery continued upon his
return home. There the specimens had to be cleaned and identified,
a long and tedious process that lasted many days. Upon completion,
all the
specimens were photographed, notated and submitted to us at the
Fossil Mall for consideration of purchase. Needless to say, we bought
the whole batch.
A word
regarding the legality of these fossils. Our provider only collects
on private ranch and farmlands of Montana and S. Dakota. His relationships
with these landowners have been cultivated over many years of door
knocking and often difficult negotiations. Our collector, in the
beginning stage of a possible collecting arrangement, cannot even
contemplate a deal until he has walked the land holdings to discover
if there are ancient remains to be found.
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