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THESCELOSAURUS TOE CLAW - Hell Creek Formation - Southeastern Montana, U.S.A. LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 70 - 65 million years ago This is a fossil toe claw from the newly famous dinosaur Thescelosaurus neglectus. Beautiful natural chocolate brown color is throughout. Claw was found in one piece but missing part of tip. Tip has about 30% restoration mainly limited to the left half otherwise in excellent preservation. Makes for a unique addition to any dinosaur fossil collection as this dinosaur has caused an enormous amount of controversy lately. The recent discovery of a Thescelosaurus with a fossilized four-chambered heart similar to warm-blooded creatures, has turned the scientific community upside down!
The most fascinating recent discovery surrounding this dinosaur relate to a specimen unearthed in South Dakota, U.S.A. in 1992. Preserved internal remains were subjected to a CAT scan and revealed a strong, advanced four-chamber heart like mammals, not reptiles! This has caused great controversy and further adds proof that dinosaurs were warm-blooded creatures.
Unique to this dinosaur and different to hypsilophodonts ('high ridge tooth") are the presence of teeth in the front of Thescelosaurus' upper jaw and five fingers on each hand instead of three or four. Thescelosaurus' thigh bone is the same length as its shin bone whereas hypsilophodonts have longer shin bones. This feature indicates Thescelosaurus was not a graceful sprinter but moved in a more deliberate and slower manner. Thescelosaurus bones, other than toe phalanges, are rare in the fossil record because the bones are hollow and therefore fragile. While individual bones have been discovered, articulated or associated skeletons are extremely rare. Thescelosaurus remains have been found only in North America. NICE TOE CLAW OF THIS FAMOUS "WARM-BLOODED" DINOSAUR - RARE! 1.6" long $395 DC15-002 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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Artwork by Paleo Direct, Inc. and copyright protected |
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The
remains of Thescelosaurus neglectus were first discovered in 1913 in the upper layer
of the Late Cretaceous in North America. It gets its
"neglected" name from the fact that it was not further studied
or identified until 22 years after its discovery. This
dinosaur is considered a member of the small ornithopod or
"bird-hipped" dinosaurs. 
Thescelosaurus was an
herbivore. Unlike some of its relatives, this dinosaur was bulkier
and likely not a swift runner. With its long tail, Thescelosaurus
grew to a length between 10 to 13 feet with a height of around 3.5
feet. A full grown dinosaur may have weighed up to 500 pounds.
Small armor plates afforded protection down its back and five-finger hands
and four-toe feet possessed pointed claws.