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MASTERPIECE GRADE 10 LARGE RUTIODON TOOTH WITH REMARKABLE COLOR AND PATTERN

Bull Canyon Formation, San Miguel County, New Mexico, U.S.A.

LATE TRIASSIC:  222 - 215 million years ago

It is rare enough to be able to offer such a unique fossil tooth from not just a little known prehistoric reptile but from the Triassic Period where few fossils are available for sale.  Strong ties with a major deposit where these are found enable us to offer such a fine quality Rutiodon tooth as this beauty is.  

This is a rare example for many reasons.  First, it is very large compared to most that are found.  The enamel is perfect and of the rarest and finest array of colors, surreal in its appearance!  There is no repair nor restoration.  This tooth is exactly as found, completely intact and is of the finest grade as well as rare in its size.  Rutiodon was a member of the Angistorhininae group of phytosaurs and was a large, stout and powerful reptile of the Triassic.

Phytosaurs are anything but what their name suggests.  When the first phytosaur was discovered, there were petrified mud fillings in the jaw that were misidentified as herbivore teeth.  Initially, it was mistakenly thought that these were plant-eating reptiles, hence the name.  That could not be further from the truth.  The name has stuck, however.  A more accurate name has been applied called "Parasuchia" meaning 'alongside crocodiles' for their resemblance to the beasts but this name is seldom used.  Phytosaurs are not considered dinosaurs but were semi-aquatic reptiles.

With their heavily armored bodies measuring up to 16 feet in length and brandishing a slender snout full of razor sharp teeth, it is no doubt these creatures were the dominant predators in the lakes, rivers and swamps of the northern hemisphere during their time. 

This is one of the most beautiful and uniquely colored teeth you will ever find of this ruler of the Triassic. 

PHENOMENAL COLOR AND PRESERVATION - RARE!

1" in length

SOLD     DT12001     INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX     Actual Item - One Only  

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