Large Leidysuchus Fossil Crocodylian Limb Bone from Hell Creek

Description: Leidysuchus was a long-snouted, swamp dwelling crocodile that lived during the late Cretaceous period. It is the most common crocodile found in the Hell Creek Formation. It was named after Joseph Leidy, describer of the first nearly-complete dinosaur ever recovered. He was a contemporary of E.D. Cope and O. C. Marsh, adversaries in the infamous “bone wars” of the American West. In the race to be the first to describe a specimen, the three often gave different names to the same dinosaur. The contest between Cope and Marsh became so acrimonious that Leidy left the field. The resulting plate of taxonomic spaghetti is still being unraveled today

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 South 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.