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INTACT GRAY WOLF (CANIS LUPUS) JAW HALF WITH TEETH - Maas River,  Holland

LATE PLEISTOCENE PERIOD:  25,000 years ago

Protected deep within the Late Pleistocene gravel bars of the Maas River, this beautiful and complete lower jaw half of Canis lupus (Gray wolf) is a fine specimen.  In most cases, fossil river deposits of canid mandible specimens only yield small jaw fragments with one or few teeth still attached.  Other than missing portions of the canine tooth, this jaw is complete with nearly all of its teeth and some of the finest bone preservation we have seen INCLUDING a complete hinge process and joint!  All the teeth are original and not composited.  Unlike the much more common specimens entirely of black or dark brown hue with river erosion, this specimen offers beautiful and lustrous orange hue with multi-colored teeth including a large and complete carnassial tooth, the main meat-shearing molar of carnivores.  Guaranteed NO DYES, NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION.  An excellent reference or display specimen and a bargain considering its completeness.  The last we have to offer in our collection and the lowest price of the lot we returned with last year!

WARNING:  We have seen several instances of Gray wolf, Canis lupus fossil jaws and teeth being sold as Dire wolf (Canis dirus) specimens for considerably more than they are worth.  To anyone not familiar with the difference, the two appear very similar but true Dire wolf fossils are more valuable than specimens of the Gray wolf.  The Dire wolf ONLY existed in North America, NOT in the European or Asian continents.

Unlike the Dire wolf (Canis dirus), the Gray wolf (Canis lupus) successfully managed to survive the last Ice Age and is still with us today in parts of the world.  The Gray wolves and coyotes of the last Ice Age were probably very similar in look and behavior to their modern relatives.  First emerging in Eurasia about 1 million years ago, Canis lupus thrived to become one of the most widely distributed mammals by the end of the Pleistocene.  This wolf is a highly mobile predator with a complex social structure and learned to adapt to a wide variety of environments including evergreen forests, frozen tundra and arid deserts.  It preys primarily upon large ungulates (deer, elk, moose), but will kill much smaller game if opportunity presents itself, as well as scavenge a carcass if need be.

Wolves have incredibly strong jaws, thought to be capable of exerting as much as 1,500 lb of pressure
per square inch.  In Canis lupus, the canine teeth can reach 2 inches in length from root end to tip.  The large, specialized premolars are known as the carnassials and are one of the key physical features of the order Carnivora.  These specialized teeth are designed solely for the purpose of shearing and slicing flesh.  Beyond the carnassial, we come to the last teeth in the series, the molars.  In the family Canidae, large molars have been retained, making thorough crushing of food possible before swallowing.  This ability in feeding habit allows for a much more versatile diet than many other families of carnivores.  The canid's possession of molars allows for a wide variety of both animal and plant material to be ground up and easily digested.  

NICE COMPLETE SPECIMEN WITH FULL PROCESS AND SUPERB BONE PRESERVATION!

6" in length x 2.8" high

$195     LM16-005     INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX     Actual Item - One Only

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Maas River Site, Holland

 

 

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