Exceptional White River Mesohippus Horse Skull and Leg Bone Fossils

Description: This is a plate containing the skull and a leg bone of the early horse Mesohippus. The horse belongs to Order Perissodactyls, meaning Mesohippus "odd-toed ungulates", that all share hoofed feet and an odd number of toes on each foot, as well as mobile upper lips and a similar tooth structure. They share a common ancestry with tapirs and rhinoceros. Mesohippus was one of the more widespread mammals in Ologocene North America. It walked on three toes on each of its front and hind feet (the first and fifth toes remained, but were small and not used in walking). Its long and slim limbs suggest that Mesohippus was an agile creature. It stood about 55 cm tall. The genus went extinct by the middle Oligocene. This very rare and aesthetic specimen has about 10% preofessional restoration, primarily to the upper and lower front teeth, a very minimal amount for such a fossil from the locality. The upper left side of the skull is exposed on the backside of the plate.